Revenge of the Deceiver
by Jman1000000000
Summary: Queen Senkrad's son, the god of lies, escaped from his prison and plans to bring his mother back to life. Sequel to The Vengeful Queen.
1. Chapter 1

**Sooooo, a lot have things have happened that I need to explain. So first, sorry I was gone for like a year. I was really unhealthy so I wasn't feeling well enough to write and I had to leave school and be home schooled and I had to write a lot of essays for English which made writing well written and exciting stories just so hard because I was always writing about things I didn't care about so the fun of writing was stigmatized by my own brain which sucks. But yeah I'm writing and I have an idea in my head for a villain I like and can't get out of my mind so out of the gates that's better than my last story which I started just because I was maining Lissandra in League of Legends. Now secondly, I'm most likely gonna delete the last story in this series that I wrote because I was reading it to find some inspiration to continue it but first off the writing sucked and second I had no plan for it at all and the pacing and storytelling and dialogue were all terrible I am embarrassed I ever even wrote that, especially when English is my second favorite subject behind math (cause I'm a nerd). I'm sorry if you liked it, but this will be your new favorite and if you want me to come up with a little summary of what I had planned to end it with I can do that but as far as this story goes, Soguk is still good. Now let's begin. And fun fact: I have no plan for this story and I only wrote this story because the villain was cool. Anyone feel a sense of deja vu**?

* * *

 **At Fablehaven**

 **"** I won't let you beat me," Kendra said confidently. "And I most certainly will not let you do that." She parried one of his Stolen Steel daggers with a hilt as black as night with her sword, made entirely of adamant, engraved with images of fairies whisking through the sky, their wings twinkling with jewels. When he tried to slash at her with the dagger in his other hand she blocked it with her shield, also adamant with a depiction of a unicorn drinking from a fresh spring. Fast as the wind he turned into nothing but shadow and his daggers fell to the ground, melding into the shadows now spreading along the grass at her feet. Kendra twirled her sword concentrating hard on the things that made her life her life. Her family, her friends, the place she was currently standing. She was in Fablehaven, her home, near the Fairy Queen's shrine which she would give her life to protect if it came down to it. That did the trick. Her sword shone so intensely she almost blinded herself when she threw it to the ground where the shadow swirled around her. Kendra was smart enough to close her eyes as a giant burst of light sprouted from her sword. When the light dissipated she opened her eyes and saw the hooded figure she was battling knocked down on the ground. With a flick of her wrist her sword was back in her hand and in a heartbeat she had it at his throat. "You done yet?" she asked. She then felt a hand grab her around the ankle and pull. Kendra out of some instinct she never knew she had managed to throw her weapons in the air, do a back handspring and catch her sword and shield. Her adversary had gotten up and Kendra had a slight suspicion as to who tripped her. A complete copy of the man she was fighting made entirely of shadow stood next to him. It was so realistic she would've thought it was his twin if it wasn't made of smoke and shadow. The copy pulled out a set of twin daggers and in one breath it had traveled ten feet, right behind Kendra with both daggers aiming for her back. She could've died. She chose such an extremely difficult spell to pull off. It was so hard for someone without fairy blood to pull off that it took a lot of focus to cast and maintain. A split-second later and she would've had the world's most awkward funeral, but she asked for this challenge and she'd win it. She glowed faintly white and shrunk to the size of a fairy, growing a pair of shimmering white wings. She was so small she didn't even have to dodge the daggers. The real version of the cloaked man, the one made of flesh, had a burn scar visible from the attack with her sword (it would hurt badly but the damage would heal) sheathed his daggers and drew a bow and arrow. He knocked an arrow and let it fly but in this form Kendra was able to dodge it with ease. The shadow copied its master's actions and drew its own bow, firing at her. Kendra did a loop in the air and avoided it, but when the two of them fired at the same time at angles that prevented escape she panicked and that momentary loss of focus sent her back into human form. The arrows hit her stomach and back but her beautifully crafted adamant armor blocked the damage. Thankfully they didn't throw the Stolen Steel daggers. Those would have hurt, armor or not. Kendra planted her shield in the ground and it glowed white, rumbling as a white dome surrounded her, protecting her from the two assailants in the forms of incorporeal shadows rushing at her. The hissed as they were burned by the light. Kendra felt the toll of all this magic, the heaviness of her limbs, the shortness of her breath, the harsh pain in her lugs which pumped magic absorbed from the world around her through her body like oxygen. She'd been trained for a whole year on how to use her magic, fight and build her stamina but it was still exhausting. She made a mental note to ask Bila how she managed to cast so many spells without these side-effects. She needed to end this, and fast. She needed a plan. She always had a plan. It was January and she already had the menu for Thanksgiving, the color scheme of this year's Christmas tree, a list of Bracken's favorite candies for Valentine's day and everyone's birthday gifts all figured out. This man and his shadow were one in the same, she knew that. Knew from past experience when he was fighting with her instead of against her that he was connected to the shadows around him since they gave him every bit of power he had at his disposal. _Focus_ she told herself y _ou need to figure out a way to cut off his power supply. What spell? What spell? Sleeping spell? No. Destruction spell? Definitely not, I could kill him if I destroy his shadow. Wait...what if...that could work. It's crazy, but it could._

Kendra tried to remember the words she heard Bila say when Queen Senkrad had turned Warren into her slave. He fought on the dark queen's side when they battled her but Bila just kicked him in the groin and he was out for the count. After their victory Bila had said a few words and he was back to normal. Kendra wasn't a mage like Bila, she was more of a warrior and healer, and she drew her power from the emotions of herself and those around her, not words. But she needed to win to be able to prove herself. This was the first step in her protection of the Fairy Realm. If she did this she might qualify for becoming an eternal. She had to risk it, even if this could drain all her magic and send her body into shock. Searching one last time for the right words she finally remembered them. She threw down her sword and dropped the shield. Then she stretched out her hand toward the shadow, a white symbol of a circle encased in two crescents burning itself on her forehead as she yelled " **Gölgeleri Kovmak!** " She screamed it at the top of her lungs and the words burned her throat as she said them. It was like trying to breathe in scalding hot water as if it were air, or vomiting lava. Her body glowed a harsh white and an orb of light came from her hands, leaping into the air and slowly falling towards the shadow like a leaf in the wind. It exploded in a dazzling display of light so bright it made the rest of the world look dark, even though it was an oddly warm and sunny day for the winter. When the light diminished to a faint shimmer hanging in the air the shadow was gone, the cloaked man was unconscious on the grass and Kendra felt as if she were being burned alive inside and out. She couldn't breath fast enough to regain the magic she lost despite the excess of it in the air after the battle. She felt every single bone and cell in her body roaring in protest and agony. Her throat felt like it was closing up. She'd be screaming if she had the ability to make even the slightest whimper. But she'd won, and everything was better now. She would be a hero to fairy-kind soon.

Kendra collapsed and she heard the rustling of skirts against grass and flowers. She could see glowing golden light from the corner of her eye. She felt a warmth spreading through her body and the pain slowly but surely diminished until it was a distant memory. She rose from the ground with some difficulty as she was getting used to her armor. It was lightweight and it didn't hinder her mobility at all, but it was a foreign feeling to be wearing adamant from head to toe. When she rose she saw the Fairy Queen, her hands still glowing slightly from healing her. Kendra bowed awkwardly and said. "Thank you, your majesty."

"You're welcome." The Fairy Queen said, her amber eyes glowing brighter than usual. Kendra noticed when she lowered her eyes and saw her hand that she herself was still glowing intensely. Underneath her skin thousands of winding trails of light shone. Odd considering she wasn't able to activate the dormant reservoir of the Fairy Queen's magical power circulating through her body yet. "And I must say, you have impressed me today. After only one year of training you have demonstrated abilities that even my astrids and fairy warriors couldn't manage."

"Thank you so much, your majesty."

Bracken appeared beside Kendra with the hooded man by his side, completely healed. When he lowered the hood of his cloak it revealed a face they all knew too well. It was Seth Sorenson, Kendra's brother. "Thanks for the extra power. Do you think I could keep it."

"Seth," Kendra said. "The queen said she'd only give you the shadow for my test. You can't-"

"Actually, Kendra," the queen said, "your brother was nice enough to help us with this test so I see no reason not to reward him with it."

"Awesome!" Seth exclaimed. "You're the best."

"Molea." Bracken corrected.

"Yeah," Seth said. "You're the moleaest."

"Seth..." Kendra started but she heard Bracken laughing and saw the Fairy Queen smirking at Seth fondly. Kendra found herself smiling despite her fear of making the queen upset. "So, your majesty, did I pass?"

"Yes." The Fairy Queen said. "You were able to defeat a shadow charmer with the most powerful dark magic I've seen in three thousand years displaying quick decision-making in the heat of battle, I already know you're extremely diplomatic and you care for the creatures of light. I shall host a ceremony in seven days to bestow you with the title of Guardian and gift you the Sword and Shield of my realm."

Kendra's face broke into a grin as large as the Grand Canyon. Her eyes watered as she cast a glance at Bracken, having a silent conversation to the effect of _I can't wait to see you everyday. Well I can't wait more. NO, I can't wait more. No, I can't wait more._ She bowed to the queen so low she almost lost he balance and said. "This is the greatest honor I've ever received."

"I am honored to have a Guardian with such a bright and pure heart." The Queen said. "Now I must be going, I have an urgent meeting very soon."

"Of course. Good bye. Thank you again, your majesty." Kendra said.

"I'll be back soon," Bracken said. "I just have to attend this meeting as well."

"I can't wait." Kendra said.

"Until next time." the two unicorns said as they approached the gazebo, crossing by creating an intricate gold and silver bridge. When they reached the shrine the queen spread her arms and they disappeared.

* * *

 **On A "Deserted" Island**

Soguk, Tywyll and Raqqosa managed to sneak out of a shrine in the middle of the night with a concealment spell cast by Tywyll. When they were through they were teleported to a deserted island of dead foliage inhabited by nothing but a dead seagull and six dead fished washed up on shore. The island was roughly ten feet in diameter and the sole structure was a Lean-to that was made of rotted wood.

"This is no place for a lady of my caliber to be." Raqqosa complained.

"You mean the kind stripped of her title as princess due to her betrayal and thrown into the dungeons to rot for eternity?" Soguk asked.

"I AM STILL A-" Raqqosa began in a shrill scream.

"I'm more concerned with the fact that a frost giant has taken us to an island with no ice." Tywyll said. "And what was the other thing...oh, yes...you're not even a frost giant."

"What?" Raqqosa asked.

Tywyll waved her hand and Soguk's appearance faded, the ice turning to flesh, the temperature around her warming, the white hair dusted with snow and shards of ice shortening. When the illusion faded a heart-crushingly beautiful man stood in the place of the frost giant. Not handsome, beautiful. His slightly parted full lips, pointed chin, delicate nose, sculpted cheekbones and shockingly pale skin mad him seem like a living painting. He had black hair and purple eyes. His features would have been angelic if it weren't for his permanent scowl.

"You can't deceive a deceiver." Tywyll said with a cold glare that matched the man's. "I've been lying since I was born."

"My clever, clever girl." the man said. "But I wouldn't expect anything less of you."

"Raqqosa." Tywyll said.

Raqqosa nodded and a pair of ribbons appeared in her hands. She did a brief but glorious dance, the ribbons whirling and looping. As she danced with them they sank into the ground, sprouting from the dead grass and binding the man's hands to his legs. Tywyll clenched her fist and the branches on the twisted dead tree extended, enhancing it's wickedness. Raqqosa's ribbons tied to the man's neck as she continued dancing, the ribbon spinning through the man air and wrapping around the tree's branches, pulling the man with it. They were hanging him.

"It's strange how you can do such a nice dance, princess," the man said, oddly calm considering the tightening ribbon around his neck, "considering how you're paralyzed from the waist down." As soon as the words finished falling from his mouth Raqqosa, leaping between the ribbons while holding the handles with her feet, fell to the ground and didn't get up. The ribbons-extended far past their normal reach-unwound instantly and returned to their usual length. The man fell from the tree and landed on his feet with unnatural grace. Tywyll opened her palm and a ball of fire appeared in it. The man said, "You're suspended in time." Tywyll froze instantly, the fire still crackling in her hand as she attempted to throw it. The man approached her and said. "It's so nice to meet you." He was right in front of her and his permanent frown seemed to ease into a smile "I think you have something that belongs to me." He blew out the fire in her hand and laughed.

* * *

 **In The Fairy Realm**

When Bila got the news that she had to go to an urgent meeting in the queen's office she grew her wings and flew to the castle as fast as she could. Finally, something exciting would happen. She'd just been sitting at home with her brother watching movies, feeding his menagerie of magical and non-magical household pets and shopping online for weeks. When she had all this time on her hands, she slept and when she slept the nightmares came and even with Evan to comfort her, make her her favorite tea and rock her to sleep like she was a newborn they were still all she saw when she closed her eyes. _Is it **so** bad that I hope the world to come close to being destroyed so I don't have to deal with my problems?_ Bila thought _No. How dare my brain even think that. Get out of my head, brain._ When she made it to the castle she flew up the stairs to the queen's office and before going through she stood in the line for three minutes behind a flock of fairies to squeeze into the nearest mirror. She was at home before and she hadn't changed so she was dressed casually. Only a black mini skirt and a white top, her heels were only five inches, her hair was just straight and plain since she'd been too lazy to curl it after the half hour of brushing, flat ironing and more brushing and worst of all she only had one coat of mascara and lip gloss on. She was practically a hobo. It was Evan's fault for letting her leave like this while he was in the bathroom. She sighed and entered the office, not wanting to waste the queen's precious time on anything that wasn't a necessity-like checking her reflection in a full-body mirror instead of her compact and handheld. When she swung open the doors Golau was inside.

"Where's the queen?" Bila asked. She grinned. "Is she kidnapped? Are we at war?"

"No. I will one day be the queen of the realm." Golau said with false-confidence. "So I will inform you alone."

"Okay." Bila sat down in the chair in front of the desk and Golau sat in her mother's usual seat apprehensively. "What's up?"

"There is an evil power in the mortal world. My moth-the queen feels it through the shrines, the sirens feel it on the wind, the naiads feel it stirring in the ocean's depths. Dark magic is gaining power. Demons, witches, litches, werewolves and nearly all other creatures of the night are beginning to overpower their prisons and soon they will wreak havoc around the world."

"If creatures of the night are trying to escape their bonds could the demons in Zzyzzx overpower their prison? Especially since it's unfinished."

"I'm afraid to say it could be possible. We've tried to contact Agad but he's cast a hibernation spell. When it's over he'll have stored enough power to perform the spell to create the eternals and complete the prison without the aid of the rest of the wizards who made it originally."

"And in the meantime we have to prevent this power from giving enough dark creatures the power to cause chaos. Any idea what's causing it?"

"A dark power as ancient as my m- _the queen_ has come to this earth. It is like the power that created all the creatures of darkness."

"Senkrad?"

"She didn't fake her death this time, it's a completely different person."

"Can we track this dark power."

"No, we fairies aren't in tune with darkness. If anything we'd be instinctively repelled from it."

"Hmm...I'm on it. I'm going out right now." Bila rose from the chair and turned for the exit.

"Please, Bila, you can't-"

"Fail?" Bila laughed as she left the room. "You really are new to this."

* * *

 **At A Night Club in New York**

Night clubs-cesspools of human filth and sin. Wrath, greed, envy, gluttony, lies, pressure...and sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet lust. I think I might faint from the smell of it. Me and my twin brother are able to camouflage humans. What we look like depends on what the viewer finds attractive. I look around and my eye catches the most stunning thing I've ever witnessed. She has flowing white hair, pale skin, white eyes and she might as well be wearing postage stamps instead of clothes. My breathing quickens when I blink and look underneath that useless flesh sack of a body into her beautiful soul. Pure white. Completely untainted. Our first night out of that dreadful prison and we get this lucky. We can cause her to commit her first sin. We can be the ones to blacken her soul. My stomach is growling, my mouth hanging open. I look to my brother. He's seen her too and we've come to a decision without a word. She looks at us staring. She blushes and winks at us awkwardly. She wobbles on those heels so high they're practically stilts towards a janitor's closet. We follow her, our hunger growing with each step. When we enter we close the door behind us. She's obviously nervous. So pure. So, so pure.

"You are so lovely." me and my brother say in unison.

She blushes and says, "Thank you."

We each take a step closer. "What is your name, my lovely?"

The innocent facade-the averting her eyes, the blushing, the stiffness of her posture, the unfamiliarity with heels, the ensnared look in her eyes all vanish in an instant. "Your worst night nightmare." She did a roundhouse kick. The heels of her shoes, silver and sharpened to a keen point on all sides met my brother's neck and his head rolled onto the floor, he heel coated in blood. She turned to me, holding out her hand "Just kidding, it's only Bila." My eyes widened and I turned to the door. She used her extended hand to wrap around my neck and shove me against the door. She was stronger than she looked, a lot stronger.

"Now I'm gonna ask you a few questions " She whispered in my ear salaciously as if she were a lover. "You can choose not to answer, but then I'll have kill you too and it would be a pain to find another demon on such short notice."

"O-o-o-o-okay, o-okay." I stammered. "J-just don't kill me."

"Good answer." She tightened her grip on my neck and turned me around, pinning me to the door as if she were caressing me. "Now, there's some evil, ancient presence giving demons the power to escape previously inescapable prisons. Now why is that?"

"Okay, okay. Demons were created by the demon king and queen Gorgrog and Senkrad either through procreation or magically altering already living beings. Senkrad gained this power from-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Bila's hands were roaming underneath his shirt, lifting it. "Go on, I can multitask."

"Um, so Queen Senkrad gained this power from the goddess Nox who lives in a magical world far from our own full of powerful beings and-having your hands do that is very distracting!"

Bila glared at him. "What? Don't you want to try to steal my life with your touch? Absorb my lust? Isn't that what you and your brother _do_?" She punctuated the last word by digging her nails in his skin. "Prey on the weak and innocent? Use defenseless human beings for your own amusement? Well I dare you to try it on me." Her eyes were shining brighter than before with her hatred, her disgust and her rage. She waited for a moment and when he said nothing she brought her forearm to his neck and pushed him against the door saying, "That's what I thought. Now go on."

"Not even Senkrad knows where Nox came from. But long ago Senkrad was able to host the goddess in her body once, but your queen hosted the goddess of daylight and banished Nox before imprisoning Senkrad. Every ten thousand years Senkrad escapes or she's brought back from death, finds a new source of power and battles your queen. Since the Fairy Queen is still hosting the goddess of light she usually wins, but if Senkrad is crafty enough or finds a great source of power she wins and destroys the world. Then when the Fairy Queen reemerges she defeats her and rebuilds it-"

"I know that." Bila said. "What's giving the demons their power now?"

"Since demons were created by Senkrad with Nox's power we gain some of their power when they're around us...but Nox is banished and Senkrad is imprisoned. However, Nox's son, Dolos has been sent here under Nox's command. His relation to Nox gives us nearly the amount of power we had eons ago when we were made."

"Okay, what are their plans?"

"I don't know-"

Bila removed one of her earrings, a sharp needle about two inches long and shoved it into his stomach. "Wanna try again?"

"If I had to guess," his body was already ejecting the needle and beginning to heal the injury, "I'd say it's revenge on those that defeated Nox. Hemera and the Fairy Queen mostly. And Nox was cruel, sadistic and manipulative. She _knows_ how much Hemera loves this planet and all life on it. She would want Hemera to see it all burn."

Bila took a second to process this. "Do you know Dolos's weaknesses? Or Nox's?"

"No. When I was created I always saw Nox as all-powerful. I don't know how the Fairy Queen and Hemera defeated her. If anyone can find their weaknesses I'd say it's her.

Bila released him and crossed her arms. "This has been informative. You may go."

As I turned to leave I didn't have time to hear the scrape of metal as a dagger was plunged into my back. "To hell." Bila finished, tossing her hair around and turning her dress around so it appeared to be backwards as she left the broom closet, pretending her legs were rubbery.

* * *

 **In The Fairy Realm**

Bracken was sitting in his mother's atrium. It was enclosed with a glass roof in an amber color shining golden-bronze light on trees, ponds, grass and flowers. It was his favorite room in the castle. It reminded him of better times long-lost. Splashing in the water and rolling in his grass, knowing his mother would fuss over dirtying his clothes only for her to clean them with magic. His first time transforming into a unicorn, galloping around the space with his father. His mom singing to him as he was lulled to sleep in his bed, brought into this room at his request. His sisters complaining about how they always had to search the entire castle only to find him here. This place was transported from the old fairy realm by his mother who, even in the haste of uprooting her entire kingdom, remembered how much he adored this place. He was snapped out of his reverie when his mom entered the room, taking a seat next to him on the rock face sitting before a softly flowing waterfall.

"Why did you give Kendra the position?" Bracken asked. "She technically failed. She would have killed herself if we hadn't been there."

"Two reasons." his mother said, "I know how happy it would make you to be able to see her so frequently without abandoning your duties as prince. And I know how happy it would make you for her to become an eternal so you could enjoy her company for many years to come. And, secondly, I'm worried for her. Since she'll be at your side for such extensive periods of time you can keep an eye on her."

"Why? Is someone out there trying to kill her?"

"No. You saw what she did. She used a magic different from the ones she was blessed with. That should be impossible. And you saw the mark on her forehead." The queen 's strapless dress allowed her to point to the glowing yellow mark on her chest resembling a ray of sunlight. "It is the mark of those blessed with godly power. I want you to use this time you have with her to watch her for any other signs and if you see them tell me immediately. If she truly has these gifts she needs to learn to draw power from her god or she'll use the most powerful magic in any world with only her own reservoir of fairy magic. She could hurt herself...or worse."

"I'll do it. I'll make sure nothing happens to her."

"I know. But please don't tell her. I don't want her to fear her magic. Especially in the situations to come."

"I vow to protect her with my life"

"I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that, my son."

* * *

 **So much better, right? I got like 40 books for Christmas (again, I is nerd) so I've been working on my writing and all that english homework taught me new techniques in writing. See you guys next time. Have a beautifully delightful day.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry I took so long to update. I was wondering what to do to transition to what I want to do toward the beginning conflict and it took me reading through three Fablehaven books, 5 other fantasy books, 7 seasons of Charmed, every episode of Supergirl and the Originals and so much candy I now have ADHD to find the inspiration I needed to make this good enough to publish.**

* * *

 **In the Fairy Realm**

Kendra could barely breathe. She stood before nearly all of the Fairy Realm's inhabitants and her family and friends, who'd gotten special permission to be present for the ceremony without Kendra having to beg nearly as much as she thought she would. The only ones who weren't present were Dale who'd had too much work tending to the preserve and Seth and Vanessa who, due to their current status as dark, would be turned into flower petals if they got too close to the shrine. She'd been instructed to dress like she usually would so she was wearing a red shirt, a jean and leather jacket, faded jeans and sneakers. Bracke was standing to her left and The Fairy Queen who stood before them in a white and gold dress wore a beautiful golden circlet around her head and held her hands out, a sword and shield suspended in the air above them.

"Kendra Sorenson, can you wholeheartedly swear that you will protect Prince Bracken with your life?"

"I do." Kendra said. She could tell by the way Bracken looked at her for a second and the way his cheekbones rose that he was trying not to laugh. When she realized her mistake-that she was supposed to say "I _swear_ " instead of saying "I _do_ " like she was getting married-she amended by saying, "I swear."

"Do you swear to defend Prince Bracken and all creatures of light from those who would seek to harm them?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear to embrace the responsibility required of you?"

"I swear."

The Fairy Queen turned to Bracken and asked, "Do you accept Kendra Sorenson as your guardian?"

"I do." Bracken said.

The sword and shield levitating before the queen shone a blinding gold as they slowly advanced toward Kendra. When they were close enough she grabbed them and her teeth rattled from the power they hummed with. When she looked down she saw she was now wearing armor. It wasn't solid, nor was it made of adamant. It was made of a gold that reflected the sun's light with extreme intensity and there were engravings of interconnected whorls that came together to form a unicorn on the breastplate. The shield and sword were also transformed from silver to the same radiant gold. She then noticed that her clothes were gone and before she could wonder where they went the Fairy Queen said the final words of the ceremony and she felt a sharp tug that nearly made her jerk to the left. It was like a lasso had wrapped around her heart and pulled her toward Bracken. She felt stronger, her hearing and sense of smell intensified so she could hear two satyrs in the audience talking about the party that was being thrown tonight and a cluster of fairies saying how ridiculous she looked in armor. But the most intense feeling was the tingle she felt when she had a particularly high amount of magic in her body. She glanced at Bracken and she could tell he felt it too. _What is going_ _on_ she thought.

 _It's called a bond_ she heard Bracken say. Then she realized she hadn't heard him say that. His voice was coming from her head. _It happens when you become a Guardian. We can share our thoughts and some of our abilities, along with knowing when one of us is in danger._

 _So we can just be in each others' heads?_ Kendra thought back.

 _As long as we open ourselves to each other_ Bracken thought back. _You might want to pay attention to this part._

The Fairy Queen finished the ceremony by saying she authorized the bond and had faith in Kendra's abilities to protect Bracken and the armor Kendra was wearing shone as it disappeared and she was left wearing her regular clothes again. She looked down and saw she was now wearing a charm bracelet with three charms in the shape of a shield, sword and chestplate. As the audience clapped The Fairy Queen turned to Kendra and said, "I already have an assignment for you."

* * *

 **In Atlanta, Georgia**

This was when Bila always had to be the most careful. One wrong word and one of her best informants would never say anything to her again. As she sat in the chair of the hair salon, every part of the interior obnoxiously pink, Bila said to her hairdresser, "I haven't seen Freddy in a while."

"He's probably somewhere hiding from Tammy."

"What happened this time." Bila inquired, making sure to keep the curiosity in her voice minimal.

"Well I'm not a gossip," her hairdresser said, "so you didn't hear this from me, but I heard that Tammy knocked him over the head with a skillet."

Bila turned around so fast that her hair, still wet from the wash, sent drops of water flying. "Shut up."

"Could I make that up?"

"I know you're crazy enough." Bila joked.

"Shut up."

"What did he do to make Gandhi snap?"

"I heard he's been cheating on her with Sammy for two years-"

"Her sister?" Bila said, whisper-yelling to simulate interest.

"And Sammy's baby was his. She caught them all having daddy day at the zoo."

"You're lying, that didn't happen."

"It did."

"Oh, god, I have to go check on her. Where did she move this time?"

"She lives in a condo downtown. Across the street from her office."

Only across the street from her office. Weird considering some of the more obscure places she'd hidden. She sat and chatted as her hair was dried and trimmed and highlighted and curled, happy to have completed part of her mission and gotten her hair done in the span of two hours.

* * *

 **On the Dark Island**

Unsurprisingly, the rotting lean-to constructed on the island led to a pocket dimension. Inside was a giant palace made entirely of black-colored glass, the moonlight outside allowing patches of light to slip inside. Everything from the furniture, to the walls, to the windows, to the flowers in vases, even the brooms the servants used were glass. Hell, even the servants and guards were lean, human-shaped beings made of black glass. Raqqosa and Tywyll were dragged through the castle until they were put into chairs by the glass guards and the pale man said, with convincing relief and horror, "Thank god, you're back to normal."

Tywyll, now able to move, fell into her chair. Raqqosa shot to her feet and yelled, "How dare you treat me in such a way! I am to be queen of-"

"Your mother's dungeons? Yes, you would have been if not for me. Sorry for messing that up for you."

"You insolent, worm. I WILL HAVE YOU'RE ENTRAILS RIPPED OUT AND-"

"You're mute." the man said.

Raqqosa was probably yelling loud enough to break all of their eardrums if any sound had been able to come from her mouth.

"Why are we here?" Tywyll asked.

"Well what I was going to say before that-" he gestured to Raqqosa, who was still yelling, "-is that I brought you here so I could help you."

"You mean because you want something." Tywyll said.

"Both." he said. "Nothing is free."

"What do you want and why would I be inclined to help you get it?"

"I want to see the destruction of that pesky goddess inhabiting the Fairy Queen's body. I want my brother and sister demons, dark sorcerers and every other creature that lives in the night to stop being hunted to extinction by her...creations of so called 'light and goodness'. And if that's not enough to entice you to help me then how about my making sure you stay out of the Fairy Queen's dungeons...strengthening your power...giving you a place in the world to rule after Hemera and all of her followers are stopped."

Tywyll considered his words for a moment before saying, "You refer to the Fairy Queen as Hemera. You think you can kill a goddess. You call us beings of darkness your brothers and sisters. Your words can manipulate mind and body. What is your name?"

"I think you already know the answer to that question."

"Humor me."

He shrugged. "I am Demrus. You might have heard of me."

"The god of family. So the stories are true."

"Yes, they are. I fell from divinity because I lied, cheated and stole to try to keep my mother, Nox, from being charged for using her powers to harm. Ever since then I can only use my power to deceive."

"Interesting." Tywyll said.

"So, sister-"

"I am not your sister." Tywyll said calmly.

"But you are. Your life was created with my mother's power."

"I am not your sister." Tywyll repeated.

Demrus chuckled. "Alright, Tywyll. Will you help me?"

"How do you plan to kill a goddess?"

"By..." Demrus whispered his plan into his ear. When he finished Tywyll laughed.

"How wicked of you."

"I am not wicked or evil. I only want my family to be happy."

"How self-righteous. But I think Raqqosa and I will aid you."

Demrus glanced at Raqqosa, still shouting threats to no avail.

"I'll deal with her." Tywyll said.

Demrus said, "You're being awfully loud."

"AND HANG YOU AND EVERYONE YOU LOVE BEFORE I BURN YOU ALL IN A MASS GRAVE!" Raqqosa yelled, out of breath.

"How rude." Demrus said.

"Raqqosa, we need to talk. Let's go." Tywyll said, rising from her chair.

"This isn't over." Raqqosa said to Demrus.

* * *

 **In Atlanta**

Bila was in front of a large condominium. She looked across the street and saw a sign reading _Smith & Associate's Medical Facility. _After entering the building it only took a few minutes of smiling and batting her eyelashes at a bellhop willing to point her in the right direction and steal a master key card. When she entered the small living room she saw the only constant in all of Tammy's homes. The room-reeking of jasmine and rose air freshener that did nothing to conceal the stench of hidden herbs and lingering sulfur-was crammed with furniture, rhyming dictionaries, low tables and knick-nacks that some would dismiss as simple collectibles if they didn't know about woman who lived there. There were maps of the world and every continent framed on the wall, rendered to seem like only beautiful artwork. It took a few moments to search the place and find out it was empty. Bila sat on the sofa and waited for thirty minutes before the door opened and Tammy walked in, stopping dead when she saw who was inside.

"Before you could say a word of that spell," Bila said as she detached the wickedly sharp heel of her shoe, "this would be in your throat."

"What do you want?" Tammy shut the door, looking paler than usual.

"A little spell."

"And I'm supposed to help you after you tried to kill me last time?"

"I try to kill a lot of people. Besides, what did you think would happen when you tried to ask out my brother?"

"I obviously made the mistake of thinking you're not insane."

"Well, don't make it again." Bila reached into her purse and pulled out a severed hand from one of the demons she killed last night and threw it to Tammy, who caught it. "I need you to spell this. Make it point me toward the most powerful dark presence in the world. And make it a little less disgusting while you're at it."

"And then you'll leave and never come back?"

"I'll only come back when I need something for the people I actually care about. Kind of like your husband."

Tammy was about to say something before Bila waved the heel around. She sighed and began rifling through her kitchen for herbs. "You know I need a dragon scale to-"

"Catch." Bila said as she threw the red scale, which she wore as a necklace at Tammy. "And I don't have all day."

"Please." Tammy was digging through the false bottom of a drawer. "What do you do with your life?"

"Only save the world and the people in it."

Tammy began to put all of the ingredients into a bowl and dropped the hand and scale into it. She lit a match and dropped it into the bowl before chanting as if in a trance:

 _Help me as I scour_

 _to find a tremendous power_

 _If it isn't found it will be unbearable_

 _for this is a power dark and terrible_

 _And let all behold as this totem turns to gold_

With a flash of dark green light and a cloud of smoke everything inside the bowl disappeared. The demon's hand rose out, encased in gold with the index finger outstretched. Tammy grabbed it out of the air and tossed it to Bila. "Is that good enough for you?"

Bila caught it and examined it. "Does it have to smell like sage?" Bila said at last, putting it into her purse.

"If you want it to work, yes. Now get out."

Bila tilted her head as if weighing the pros and cons of killing the witch. She put her heel back on and stood up, prowling slowly to the kitchen counter. "Speak to me like that again and I don't care how useful you are to have around, I'll kill you. And stop moving around all the time, you know I'll just find you again." Bila said before leaving.

* * *

 **In the Fairy Realm**

"This is going to be difficult, but what isn't?" Bracken said.

"It's going to be impossible." Kendra said. "I've read the stories. The Talismans of Celene were scattered in the farthest reaches of the world."

"Nothing is impossible if you try."

"Where do we even start?"

"I think we should find a seer."

"A seer?"

"Neutral beings who can see memories of the past."

"Where would one be?"

"The last one I remember was in...no, he would't have lived this long."

"Wait, you said they're neutral, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I remember one of the books I was reading at Fablehaven when I first found out about the magical world. It said that when someone is good they're instinctively drawn to places of goodness and away from places with negative energy and the opposite is true. So, wouldn't neutral beings want to go to places known for not being either good or bad?"

"That makes sense."

"And when you think of neutrality what's the first place that comes to mind?"

"Switzerland?"

"Yes. We should start looking there."

"See, nothing's impossible."

"Don't say that yet. We don't know if they're really there and even if they are we still have to find a way to actually locate the seer."

"That will take a lot of luck."

"Luck." Kendra mused. "I can ask Tanu if he can make a potion to give me luck, and maybe to heighten my instincts."

"It could work." Bracken said thoughtfully.

"It could?"

Bracken smiled. "It can. I thought I was supposed to be the wise one."

"People your age do start to think a little slowly."

Bracken's smile turned into a grin.

"Now let's go to the Fablehaven shrine so we can get started."


	3. Chapter 3

**At the Fablehaven Shrine**

Bracken and Kendra were lucky enough to catch Tanu before he left. Apparently it was the time of year he left to collect and refill his potion ingredients, but he still had enough to make a potion that would give Kendra a temporary-five minutes to be exact-boost in luck and natural intuition. After thanking him they'd stayed long enough to have dinner with the family before going back to the naiad pond and getting in a boat to cross the lake. As they went Kendra pulled her phone and the potion out of her pockets.

"Are you sure we can't use a map?" Bracken asked. He was rowing the boat manually instead of just enchanting the oars, which was smart considering they had no idea if they'd need their magic at full capacity to help in some altercation that would likely occur in their travels.

"This is a map." Kendra said with a smirk.

"A...paper one."

"Trust me, I've scryed using _this,_ " she showed him her maps app, "enough to know it works."

"Alright, I trust you."

Kendra zoomed out and back in once all of Switzerland was in view. They were now stopped at the island.

"Can you hold this?" Kendra asked Bracken. He grabbed her phone and held it so the screen faced her. Kendra uncapped the potion and drank it. It tasted like extremely minty mouthwash but she did feel more sure of herself after a few moments. She put down the bottle and closed her eyes. She lifted her finger and tapped a random location on the screen. When she opened her eyes a pin was dropped. She zoomed in and it was right in the center of a building. She went into street view and saw it was a mental hospital on the outskirts of a crowded city.

"Can you do that with a paper map?" Kendra asked.

"Maybe not normal ones." Bracken replied.

"Looks like we have a destination." Kendra stood up and Bracken helped her out of the boat, gentlemanly as always. Kendra approached the shrine and started to open a gateway, her veins glowing white in her arms.

"Wait!" Bracken nearly yelled.

"What's wrong?" Kendra asked. The glow faded instantly.

"I'll open it." Bracken said. When he saw the curious look on Kendra's face he added, "You should save your strength. As a Guardian you'll need your magic more in case something happens."

"I guess so."

Bracken took a horn out of a specially made sheath under his sleeve and pointed it at the shrine. A bluish-white light shot out and the fairy began to fly around them, zipping faster and faster until they were weightless and soaring through the air.

* * *

 **Where Bila Is**

As she waited for one of her-what would the word be? A mixture between boyfriend, toy and asset-to get everything ready for her trip Bila decided it would probably be a good idea to check out a nearby park. It was owned by fairy collectors, as anyone familiar with the magical world could tell. The way the light danced through the air and the vivid colors of the flowers could never be the result of human gardening alone. The murals gracing the ground and walls of the buildings, despite each being beautiful in a different way were all created for the purpose of hiding the wards carved in to repel creatures of darkness.

Considering it was her job to make sure fairies, naiads, frost giants and every other creature under the Fairy Queen's rule were safe and comfortable on Earth, Bila felt it couldn't hurt to see what was going on. She didn't see any fairies weaving through the air when she arrived. The flowers that were always in full bloom when she came here were closed tight. The fairies that usually absorbed and molded the sunlight around them weren't in sight though Bila still sensed them around. They must be keeping light from bouncing off of them so they . Things must be really awful if a fairy considered not being seen and admired a worthwhile option.

"Kartal görüşü." Bila whispered. Her eyesight sharpened, zooming in like a pair of superpowered binoculars. She scanned the trees, the ground, the sky until her eyes settled on a nest of owls. There it is. "Püskürtmek." Bila shouted. The crowd gathered at the park immediately began to pack up any belongings they may have had and leaving to the first place they thought of. The owls took note of her and she let sparks fall from her hands, making them as bright as possible. She had their full attention now and her suspicions were confirmed.

They were Strix. Creatures created by Senkrad that looked and acted like owls other than their extreme speed, strength, intelligence and reliance on drinking blood to survive. They particularly enjoyed drinking the blood of beings with light magic. That must be why the fairies were hiding. Bila reached inside her purse and took out a travel-sized crossbow and six arrows made of enchanted iron. There were four owls faster and stronger than her waiting to drain her body of its blood if she made the slightest mistake. Well, they were certainly welcome to try.

A particularly thirsty one took flight, charging at her at full speed. She jumped up, sending sparks out of her back that solidified into wings and flew in the air. The one that charged at her pulled up and bashed into her side, sending her to the ground and her crossbow fell out of her hand. She flipped onto her feet and dove for the weapon, but two owls worked together to lift it out of her reach as the other two attacked. One dove for her wings with its claws extended, ready to rip into them, while the other aimed for her eyes. "Geri bas." she yelled and sparks and smoke flew out of her, knocking the Strix out of the sky. "Bana göre." Her crossbow flew into her hand. "Durdurmak." the Strix stopped in midair as they fell and Bila shot an arrow into one, reloaded and shot the other. Two down. The ones that were holding her crossbow before were ascending high, nearly to the clouds. Bila flew after them, having trouble keeping up with them. When did they get this fast? The Strix suddenly descended together. Bila kept her crossbow ready but didn't shoot right away, knowing how cunning they were. The split apart and flanked her and she flew up, shooting an arrow at one but it did a barrel-roll and attacked from underneath her while the other went above her. The one under her gripped one of her legs in its talons and the one above her gripped her hair, pulling tight. She felt the one on her leg trying to reach the blood from her wound with its beak and she started kicking and struggling before making her wings disappear. The Strix grip on her failed, ripping hair from her head and skin from her legs. She was tumbling down from the sky much too fast for her liking but didn't react, she just stilled as best she could. Before she could reach the ground the birds gripped her arms, slowing her fall enough for her not to splatter like a waterballoon but not easing the pain of the impact. She kept her eyes closed, her face passive, her grip on her crossbow light. The Strix loomed over her, opening their mouths to reveal razor sharp tongues. They leaned in and faster than they could react Bila grabbed one by the neck, pulling it into the path of the other's tongue, which went through its head, sending it to the ground with a thud. Bila pulled her crossbow into place and sent the arrow into the last one.

After taking a moment to catch her breath Bila stood up. There were only four Strix, which isn't enough for her to have so much trouble dealing with. She checked the wards around the park. They were in full effect so they should have kept such weak beings outside of the boundaries the fairies roamed. Bila saw light shimmering around her and dozens of fairies appeared at once.

"How did the Strix get inside the wards?" Bila asked.

"They nearly killed me!" One exclaimed.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic." One said to the first.

"Your hair looks awful." Another said to Bila.

"You're supposed to say that in your head, Crea." One chided.

"Are you going to deal with those bodies?" One asked with distaste. "They're kind of gross."

"If you guys don't plan on answering my question, I suggest you remember that I have one arrow left." Bila said.

"They just flew right in." One of the fairies said.

"They shattered the wards!" One exclaimed.

"The park's caretakers put them back up but it was too late." the first one said. "They were already inside."

"Strix shouldn't have that much power." Bila said.

"They've been trying to get inside for months. Some of us enjoyed watching them bounce off the barrier." a fairy said.

"But recently they've become more persistent. They've been getting stronger and yesterday they managed to get in."

Bila finally understood why the four birds were so successful in their attack against her. Whatever the dark force she was hunting is, it's strengthening the creatures of the night, possibly around the whole world. Now the hunt was really on.

* * *

 **This chapter was brought to you by Google Maps, the number one GPS service in all of the world. Any map-related needs you have can be addressed with our reliable-NO I'M JUST KIDDING. But proofreading this and writing down how Kendra was using her phone's map it seemed like I was writing a commercial for Google Maps. When this is posted in the future I'll have written at least two more chapters that I'm starting after writing this so another chapter will be up in like a week.**


	4. Chapter 4

**At the Mental Hospital in Switzerland**

The portal took Bracken and Kendra to a shrine a few miles from where they needed to be and they flew the rest of the way. They found the building they'd seen online and went inside. It was a nice place. The entry room was small and comfortable and the receptionist behind the desk greeted them.

"Hej, är du besökare eller volontärer?" She asked.

Bracken crossed his arms, one hand reaching into his sleeve to touch his horn and whispering something. "Pardon me?" Bracken asked.

"I asked if you were visiting or volunteering?" The receptionist said in Sylvian, Kendra recognized. _Is she a fairy of some sort in disguise_ _?_ Kendra wondered.

 _It's an old trick fairies used to play on humans._ Bracken said in her mind. _It makes it so you can only understand and speak Sylvian._

"We're here to visit my uncle," Kendra said. "He was admitted a while ago, but he changed his name during one of his episodes so we don't know which one he's using now. Can we go inside? I would know him if I saw him."

The receptionist looked suspicious. Kendra concentrated and dug down into her well of magic, careful not to go beneath the layer where her magic ended and the Fairy Queen's supply began. She sent out an aura that wrapped around her and Bracken. It was made of trust, warmth and familiarity. The nurse relaxed and stood up.

"Of course, come with me." the receptionist said, standing up and leading them inside a door she had to swipe a badge over to open. Behind was a set of steps that led to a big room with people sitting down at tables, playing games like cards or chess. Kendra focused on the inner light she had-the one that people said nearly blinded them when they looked at her but she could never see-and made it shine a little brighter. A man in a corner by himself shielded his eyes and winced. That must be the seer, then. The suspicious look on the receptionist's face returned when she saw that he was around her and Bracken's age, at least in appearance. Kendra had said he was her uncle in anticipation of finding an old, wise, sensei-type character. This was a hipster with brown hair and eyes young enough to go to school with her, complete with unreasonably skinny jeans, a band t-shirt and glasses with no lenses.

"He's my mother's younger brother." Kendra said, doubling up on the aura of trust. "Thank you for taking us to him. You can go now."

"Of course." The receptionist said, smiling again.

Kendra dispelled the aura and she and Bracken approached the seer.

"Hey." Kendra said, sitting across from him.

"Hi, Kendra." The seer said.

"You know my name?"

"Yeah. Do you know why your mom decided to name y-" he paused. "Well that's not why you're here."

"Do you know why we're here?" Bracken asked.

"Yes, but I can't tell you where the talismans are." the seer said. "My name's Bryce by the way."

"What? Why?" Kendra exclaimed.

"Well my mom's name was Claryce but my dad kept-" Bryce started.

"No, why can't you tell us where they are?" Kendra clarified.

"Probably in a cemetery some-" Bryce started.

"Not your parents," Bracken said, "the talismans."

"Oh, easy. If I told you, then I'd have to tell any demon that walked through that door." Bryce said.

"Can't you make an exception? Just this once." Kendra asked.

"I'm sorry. Believe me, I want you to keep those talismans out of the hands of anyone who'd use them for evil, I really do. But whatever information I give you I have to give to _anyone_ else who asks. Good, evil, or anywhere between. I can't stop it, it's in my nature."

"But you can give us a nudge in the right direction, right?" Bracken said.

"You should probably write this down." Bryce said with a grin. His eyes turned a silver color. "Find where the shining light is cast back twice. Onto the body that runs but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a head but never weeps. There everything will be made clear."

Bracken had taken out a piece of paper and was writing down what the seer said, careful to get every word right.

Bryce's eyes turned back brown "I really hope you two find those talismans. They really shouldn't be out there waiting for someone to steal them. I mean wh-" He started shaking and his eyes turned silver again, taking on a more harsh glow. His voice changed to that of a woman, whispering hurriedly like she was afraid someone would catch her. " _Be wary, young vessel. This task will be the end of the life you know_." His eyes and voice returned to normal.

Kendra looked to Bracken. She could see in his face that his brain was working on overdrive, trying to find an answer for what just happened. When she looked back to the seer she asked, "What do you mean by the end of the life I know?"

"Huh?" Bryce asked.

"You said this task will be the end of the life I know. Just now."

"I didn't say that."

* * *

 **On the Abandoned Island**

After fixing her hair and healing her leg, Bila had sent a message home to ask her friends to come with her. If whatever dark force she was after could strengthen creatures of darkness it wouldn't be smart to confront it alone. They said they'd find her when she was ready for them so she went on with her initial form of transportation since she needed to wait for her magic to restore itself to full strength. She went to the airport where a friendly billionaire she knew had been nice enough to "lend" her one of his private jets. It was fun watching him beg to go with her but it was starting to feel too easy charming humans. After that it took a little batting her eyelashes to get the pilot to stop questioning why he was using a golden severed hand as a compass. Now, they were getting close. Every fiber of Bila's being was telling her that she didn't belong here, that she should run away and frolic in fields, that she wasn't safe. She grit her teeth and waited until the feeling got stronger. When she had to fight against her magic to keep wings from growing out of her back and flying her away she took a parachute, opened the door and jumped out of the air.

* * *

 **Kendra and Bracken's Perspective**

It was getting dark so Kendra and Bracken decided to get something to eat while they mulled over the riddle. Even though Bracken told her not to let the seer's last words " _...the end of the life she knows_ " rattle her something didn't sit right with Kendra. Despite his assurance that it was nothing to worry about there was this strange feeling in her gut that something was wrong. The way the seer's voice and eyes changed was different from his initial message. And he was only supposed to be able to see memories of the past so why would he warn her about the future? And what he called her. " _Young vessel_." Vessel for what? It was like he became a different person.

"Kendra." Bracken's voice took her out of her rumination. "Did you have an idea what this could mean?"

Kendra looked back at the paper with the riddle written down. "I have no clue," she said. "So it starts of with the shining light being cast back so that must be some kind of reflection or mirror. But a reflection on a body? Well, not a body if it doesn't sleep or walk or talk. What could the second part mean?"

"Let's focus on these." Bracken circled the words body, run, mouth, bed and head.

"Could they be some sort of anagram?" Kendra mused.

"Possibly." Bracken scratched his chin.

The waitress came over and gave Kendra her pink lemonade and Bracken a glass of water. When Kendra went to take a sip she saw the reflection of the moon in her glass and something clicked. "It's a river. It runs, it's a body of water, there's a river bed. It has to be a river."

When Kendra looked back at the reflection of the moon something happened. Like an imaginary hand pushing her forward from behind or a string tugging on her soul. Her eyes locked on the reflection and she saw a flash of light out of the corner of her eye. When she looked away Bracken had his hands on her shoulders. How did he move so fast? And why was it so hard to keep her eyes open? And why was her nose bleeding?

"Look at me." Bracken said.

"What happened?" Kendra asked.

"I don't know. Are you okay?"

"A little tired but..." Kendra looked at the paper on the table. The ink on the paper had rearranged itself into an image: a still river of silver water reflecting the moon in the night sky. "Did I do that."

"I know that place." Bracken said. "Someone or something wants us to go there."

"Who or what would that be?" Kendra asked.

"I think we'll find out when we get here." Bracken touched the paper reverently.

"Where is this place?"

"It's a temple. After my mother defeated the goddess Nox for the first time the village she was born in was destroyed. As a memorial my mother built a temple reserved for all of her creations and asked the goddess of moonlight, Celene, to guard it. That must be where the talismans have been."

"If they're under the temple why didn't the Fairy Queen just tell us from the start?"

"She can't have known."

Kendra stood up. "Do you know how to get there?" Kendra asked, putting the picture in her pocket.

"It's in Greece. We can fly there before the sun rises if we hurry."

Kendra looked around and summoned her wings. Bracken pulled out one of his horns and the air around him started shimmering. As they floated off the ground Kendra looked at the people around her, none of them paying attention to the two of them. How could they when they didn't drink the milk? With Bracken leading her they flew off into the night sky and when her eyes settled on the rising moon she couldn't help the feeling that something was tugging her toward it.


	5. Chapter 5

**On the Dark Island**

When Bila landed on the island she pulled a key out of her pocket. She waved it in the air and an arch of sparks formed. Out of it stepped her friends. The sassy, green-haired Hedera; the haughty, silver Elmas; the strong and silent Kurus; and the caring Jorgo.

"You were right about the darkness here." Jorgo said.

"It's seriously messing with my energies." Hedera said. "Maybe we can leave, this seems more like a job for the astrids anyway and I made this amazing-"

"Will you shut up." Elmas said flatly. "Although, I must admit, I'm not looking forward to fighting demons. The ugly things have nothing to lose."

Bila was waving the golden hand around. "Let's just get this over with." It pulled against her and stuck itself into a rotting lean-to. "Looks like we're going to a new dimension. Are all of you ready?"

"Definitely not." Hedera said.

"Too bad." Bila flourished her hands and said, "Ortaya çıkartmak."

Sparks fell to the ground and revealed a door made of black glass. Bila opened it and stepped inside, followed by her friends.

* * *

 **At Fablehaven**

Yesterday morning Warren, Hugo, Vanessa and Dale had all gone out because of complaints from the fairies and dryads that one of the snow spirits were being oddly aggressive lately. Even though Seth asked approximately twenty-five times if he could join them his mother insisted he stay home and Warren had told him it had most likely been a simple misunderstanding. But it had been over day and there was no word from any of them. Despite his grandparents assuring them there was nothing to worry about Seth had a feeling that something wasn't right. So that night when everyone was asleep he got out of bed, still fully dressed, grabbed hid daggers, bow, arrows and a map to the preserve. He slipped out of the room and made his way to where the map said the frost spirit lived.

He knew he was in the right place when he reached an area of the forest with a small hut. Unlike the rest of the woods it was covered in snow. There was the sound of a woman crying coming from inside. Seth immediately rushed to the door. When he was inside it was hard to see with only the moonlight coming in through the window but there was a pale young woman with raven-colored hair hunched over. When Seth got closer to her she turned around with tears in her eyes. She was holding a baby with big grey eyes in her arms.

"Please." The woman begged, holding out the little boy. "Please, please get him to safety."

Seth was almost ensnared by the woman, but he had took the time that day to read up on the snow spirits living at the preserve and this one was assuredly a Yuki-onna. When Seth backed away from her she realized her act had failed. The baby turned into snow and her skin went from deathly pale to transparent. The interior of the hut started to glow blue and Seth was able to see that everything inside was covered in ice and...in the corner there were ice sculptures, but they weren't sculptures. Warren, Dale, Vanessa, Hugo, hamadryads and fairies all encapsulated in ice.

"Don't you think you'd look good in ice?" the woman asked.

"I'm good, thanks." Seth said. It was definitely getting colder. Seth was really regretting not bringing another jacket. But maybe this could be resolved without violence. "Do you mind if I borrow your...um, statues for a little bit?"

"No." She said coldly. Literally. As she said the word she blew out a cold wind at Seth, knocking him back against the wall. His shadow grabbed his hand and lifted him up to his feet. The snow spirit put her hands forward and a blast of cold blew at him. Seth slipped into his shadow and reappeared at the other side of the room. "Stop moving." she said, freezing the ground around Seth. He pulled out his bow and shot two arrows back to back. The spirit blew another cold wind, freezing the arrows together in a ball of ice and throwing it at Seth. He ducked under it and rolled the the ground, sliding along the ice around him to go faster as the ball of ice exploded into needles. The needles flew toward Seth who slashed them out of the air with his daggers. As he did that the spirit stalked toward him and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him close to her. She grabbed his neck with one bitingly cold hand. It was like she was pulling the life out of him as she froze his skin and blood. He tried to pull away from her but her hands had fused to his skin. He reached for one of his daggers and slashed at her arm as fast as he could, slicing off her hand. The freezing stopped and the snow spirits hand fell to the ground before turning to snow and fusing with her arm. The Yuki-onna bared her teeth and floated into the air. "You shouldn't have done that." she said, her hands coated in frost as she threw an icicle at Seth the size of a javelin. He grabbed his bow and shot it, shattering the ice in midair but the spirit shot more. After Seth ran out of arrows he used his bow to block them. The spirit shot a larger shard of ice that snapped Seth's bow in half when he used it to block his chest. He whipped out his daggers and tried to take a step toward her before she shot an icicle at his leg. He jumped back and found himself against the wall. The spirit smiled and flew down towards him, launching a blast of cold wind at him. When it hit him the wind turned into ice, freezing him to the wall. The Yuki-onna landed in front of him and constructed a knife made of ice. She gripped his shoulder, slowly freezing him. "Do you want to know something?" She put the knife against his chest. "You'll feel this inside your chest even while you're frozen. You'll eternally be on the precipice between life and death, unable to know the peace of either." As she started to push the knife into his chest Seth started to pull against the ice but there was no way to escape and it was getting harder to move with her still freezing his shoulder. He couldn't die this way. Just thinking about what that would to to his family scared him more than anything he'd ever felt. He willed his shadow to do anything it could to help him as the snow spirit gleefully sliced into him. He closed his eyes and all of a sudden he stopped feeling the knife or the biting cold consuming him where the spirit had held his shoulder. He opened his eyes and his shadow was grabbing the spirit's arms. His shadow grew and enveloped the Yuki-onna in a veil of darkness. Seth was still stuck to the wall, shivering, but the cold gradually grew more tolerable. Was that because he was dying? His shadow retreated back behind him and the snow spirit was on the ground. She stood back up and grabbed her knife from the ground, quickly dropping it. The reason why was clear. She was no longer transparent and made of ice, she was the pale woman with dark hair that Seth had seen when she walked in and she was shaking from the cold. The spirit looked down at herself with disbelief and when her eyes fell onto Seth it turned to shock, then fear. Seth looked down at himself and he saw that his arms were invisible beneath his jacket. In fact he started to notice that despite the sub-zero temperatures not changing he was starting to feel hot. And his see-through hands were so cold you could see frost on his transparent fingers. The spirit charged at him, lashing out with her nails. Seth grabbed her arm and he felt an instinct take over. He felt the heat inside the spirit's body and he started to consume it, stealing her life until there was nothing left to leech.

When he was done the woman was a statue like the ones his friends were turned into, frozen all the way through. The absorption of the spirit's body heat left Seth feeling powerful, a sort of exhilarating thrill like he'd never felt before. He looked in amazement as he felt the slice in his chest and the damage caused from the cold heal themselves. Seth turned back to where the Yuki-onna's victims were on display. He wondered what happened. His shadow had attacked the snow spirit, then she was rendered powerless and now...Seth pointed his hand at the floor and tried to remember and replicate the instinctive need to freeze and consume he'd felt when he'd frozen the snow spirit. He felt the air around him chill and a cold wind shot at the ground from his hand, solidifying when it touched the floor into a column of ice. So, it seemed, he had ice powers now. His curiosity satisfied, he focused on his friends, each frozen solid. He concentrated, digging into himself to get his new ice powers to thaw them back into their normal selves. Despite his efforts nothing seemed to work. He tried imagining hot things, commanding his abilities to absorb the ice, having his shadow try to fix them and even asking them if this was just some sort of prank. He put a hand on Hugo and sighed. As he did he felt the heat he'd absorbed from the snow spirit trying to slip from his body and return to the golem.

"That's it." Seth thought out loud as he realized. "I must have the Yuki-onna's powers now. If I absorbed the heat in her body that must mean I have whatever she leeched from her victims."

Seth allowed the heat begging to return to be released and blue lights flew to each of the frozen beings. Almost instantly the ice turned back to flesh and everyone took a collective breath. The ice on the ground melted and the temperature returned to normal levels.

Warren blinked. "What happened? Seth, is that you? What are you doing here?"

"Making a daring rescue." Seth said with a winning smile.

"Why are you invisible-" Vanessa started.

Everything started to get much colder. Seth felt his teeth chatter and his skin turned back to normal, losing the transparency it had before. He tried a step and he collapsed to the floor, everything going black.

* * *

 **On the Dark Island**

The door led to a throne room. The throne, the floor, the ceiling, the doors and the guards positioned by them were all made of black glass. The room was big enough for a large-scale battle, Bila noted. The ceilings were high enough for aerial combat if you were careful enough not to hit the giant chandelier.

The door behind the raised platform that an ornate throne stood on opened. Out stepped a tall man with pale skin, dark hair and purple eyes. There was no mistaking it. This was Demrus. The Deceiver himself. He casually strode in and sat on the throne.

"Hello." He said happily. "I'm glad you could make it."

"I am too." Bila said. "Now I don't have to do any searching around before I kill you."

"Why would you want to kill me?" Demrus asked, laughing slightly as if it was the most absurd idea he'd ever heard in his life.

"You're kidding right?" Bila asked.

"Not at all. Have I done something wrong?" He seemed alarmed.

"Did he?" Elmas asked.

"For starters you're using your powers on us right now." Bila said.

Demrus's eyes went wide. "I would never." He turned to Hedera. "Do you feel like I'm influencing you?"

"Not at all." Hedera said.

"Then why are you here?" Demrus asked. "You're not just visiting?"

"No, Bila said we're under orders to kill you." Hedera said.

"Oh, goodness." He exclaimed. "Did you want to come here?" He asked Jorgo, making eye contact.

"I...stopping you will prevent you from summoning your mother." Jorgo said uncertainly. "It will save the world."

"No, no, no." Demrus said. "I don't intend to summon my mother. I just want to help you."

"Really?" Elmas asked.

"Yes." Demrus said, swallowing hard.

 _This needs to stop before it gets out of hand._ Bila thought. She let her power rise to the surface. Her eyes glowed brighter and fire danced in them.

"I've had a lot of time to reflect during my imprisonment." Demrus said. He looked at the ground and sighed. His voice cracked when he said, "I want to be better than I was before. I want to atone. And this is the first step."

"You gave power to thousands of dark creatures." Kurus said. "Do you know how many people that could've killed?"

"I swear I didn't mean to." Demrus said. "I didn't know my powers would affect them this way. That's why I've locked myself away here. I thought distance would stop the darkness in me from spreading to them."

"That's so sad." Hedera said.

"It is. I want to be better than I was before, but it seems all I'll ever be is the god who misused his power." Demrus said heartrendingly. He cleared his throat, looking Hedera, Kurus, Elmas and Jorgo each in the eye before saying. "That's besides the point, though. What you need to know is that I'm not manipulating you. But I fear someone else is."

 _Here it comes_. Bila thought, clenching her fists as sparks fell from her hands.

"Who?" Hedera asked.

"I think I know." Elmas said. _Of course she would be the first to_. Bila thought.

"Yes." Demrus said. He pointed at Bila. "Her."

Her friends immediately turned on her.

Bila's eyes were glowing as bright as the sun now. The sparks at her hands fell more and more, until they started smoking and turned to fire. Because now, against a god, wasn't the time for sparks. It was the time for fire. Her whole body coated itself in flames now as she lifted into the air. Her skin went from flesh to a white-hot blazing inferno. The form of the goddess inside her. Amora, love, beauty and protection incarnate.


	6. Chapter 6

**Before I start I thought I should make it clear that the Fairy Queen is a vessel for Hemera, the goddess of light and Bila is the vessel for the goddess of love and beauty. The name that I use for them is just based on who's currently in control of the body.**

* * *

 **On the Dark Island**

"I see you're still up to your old tricks." Bila's body said, but she was no longer speaking. She'd given control over to Amora.

"I knew it was you." Demrus said. "You've always been Hemera's faithful dog; rushing headfirst into danger."

An diamond arrow was shot at Amora, melting before it even touched her. She turned to Elmas who was holding a diamond bow. She snapped her fingers and her friends were coated in a veil of fire that couldn't burn them. Their eyes cleared and Demrus's influence faded. While she didn't have the Fairy Queen's ability to create or strengthen creatures of light, she was able to clear their minds-show them what they loved and the danger Demrus posed to it.

"We'll talk about how easy it was for him to turn you into his willing puppets later." Amora said to them.

"Ugh." Hedera said. " _You're_ back."

Demrus cleared his throat from his throne. "I have a confession to make." He said. "I may not have been completely honest earlier."

"You don't say." Amora sighed.

"I may have been stalling you long enough for these two lovely ladies to do this."

The door behind the throne and the door behind Amora burst open, revealing portals to another realm. Out of one strutted Raqqosa, a host of demons following behind her. The other Tywyll floated out of, followed by a host just as large. In total there had to be about two hundred. Easy to handle for a goddess but when Amora looked to Hedera, Elmas, Kurus and Jorgo she knew they wouldn't be so lucky with Demrus empowering and fighting with them. The door behind Raqqosa slammed closed as the demons finished exiting, shattering until there was nothing but a wall in its place.

Amora became a roaring comet of fire, charging at Demrus as the doors behind him closed. She grabbed him as she flew, burning through his human skin and his throne as they flew through the door before it closed and shattered behind them.

* * *

 **Amora's Perspective**

They emerged in a different dimension from the one they were in before. Amora could feel the darkness around them-and not just because there was no sun. It was pitch black, but the fire from her body provided enough light to see that everything was made of red stone. And it was cold, the kind of cold that seems to suck the energy out of you. She rose into the air from her position on top of Demrus. He stood up, revealing that his burns had healed.

"I was kind of hoping you'd be more than just a pretty face by now." Demrus said, suppressing a laugh

Amora passed a flaming hand through her head. "I technically don't have a face. But I'm glad you think I'm pretty because I'll be the last thing you see."

"I feel like I should be saying that." He said smugly.

"Why would that be?" Her hands shone brighter as she prepared to launch a wave of fire at him.

"Because I'm not really here, you idiot." His hands turned to black crystal, spreading to the rest of his body until he was merely a statue. An echo of Demrus's voice said, "You fell right into my trap."

This wasn't a trick. He knew she'd place the lives of the people she fought with before her own and keep him occupied without taking the time to think. He'd trapped her in a random world with no way out. And while tied to a human she couldn't just slip away.

Her flames crackled and released shining embers. "GOD DAMMIT! SHIT SHIT SHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT!" She calmed herself down. "I am a fuc-" Her flames started to rise and she took a deep breath before calmly saying, "I am a _freaking_ goddess. I am in another dimension or world and I will _not_ be stuck here forever because of that lying shitstain that will be cremated alive the next time I see him because I will escape somehow. I don't know how yet, but I will." She burned brighter so she could see farther around her. As she illuminated the shadowy realm she saw thousands and thousands of dark creatures surrounding her and more just at the edge of her light. It was impossible to tell how many there were since she could only see a certain distance around her. They were unlike anything she'd ever seen before, each was twisted and disgusting in its own way. Some were made of ice, some wind, some stone, some air, some fire, some scaled, some furry, some with scarred skin. She made her fire burn hotter. They didn't shy from her, they actually advanced confidently. A being of shadow and hate launched itself at her and she blasted it away. A burly one jumped for her as she floated higher but she kicked it away. She released a wave of fire all around her, sending them flying backward. While they were disoriented she turned into a comet of fire and launched herself at them.

* * *

 **Back in the Dark Castle**

With the haze of Demrus's influence dispelled the four warriors stood with their backs against each other.

"This place is so...black crystal." Elmas said. "Mind adding a splash of green, Hedera?"

"Way ahead of you." Hedera said. She yelped as she plucked four leaves from her skin. She threw two to the ground, one at the ceiling and one at the wall. As soon as they struck they started sprouting grass, moss, vines, flowers and leaves. Two vines from the ground wove themselves into a whip and attached to her hand. She swung the whip at Raqqosa, who spun out of the way.

Kurus drew her sword and shield, launching herself at Tywyll. Tywyll summoned two spheres of dark energy in her hands, blocking the sword's path. Kurus jumped backward before turning her shield into a sword and swinging them both from different directions. The orbs in Tywyll's hands expanded as she blocked them. When the swords struck them they passed straight through, absorbed by portals. The orbs shrunk to their original size in her hands and she swung at Kurus. She bashed her face, smashing through her helmet.

Elmas flew into the air. One of the crystal guards grew wings and launched itself at her. She pushed her hands out and the crystal soldier started to shine, turning from black to clear diamond. The soldier flew around her and threw its spear at a demon before turning its arms to sharp points and battling on her side. She continued to fly around purifying soldiers. A bat-like demon dove at her from behind and she created a diamond spear to impale him. She made a crystal bow and summoned arrows to fly into the hearts of the demons surrounding her allies.

"A little help Elmas?" Kurus yelled. Two diamond swords appeared in Kurus's hands and she swung at Tywyll, slicing her face. Tywyll replied by flying backwards and launching one of the orbs at her, sending her sprawling on the ground.

Jorgo aimed his second horn, focusing, and a light shone above Kurus, lifting her from the ground and healing her injuries. Then he returned the diamond swords to her grasp. Without missing a beat, Kurus threw herself at Tywyll. Jorgo whispered a spell and the orbs in Tywyll's hands fell to the ground as she raised them to block the attack. Kurus slashed with one sword and Tywyll's left hand fell to the ground. She aimed the other sword at the dark mage's head but Jorgo summoned a wind to pull her towards him. As he did a demon with a drill for a nose landed face-first where Kurus was standing a millisecond ago.

Kurus spotted Tywyll slinking away in retreat behind the wall of demons surrounding them. She spread her wings and flew up, surveying the sheer amount of demons they had to face. Deciding that Tywyll and Raqqosa were too dangerous to be added to the host of demons that outnumbered them so, Kurus summoned her power and created a shield of bronze energy around Raqqosa, Elmas, Hedera, Jorgo and a few demons that managed to slip in. Before it was completely secure, Kurus flew through it into the mass of demons as a distraction.

Hedera was too busy fighting Raqqosa to notice. Not that fight was a word she'd use to describe it. She tried weaving roots through the ground to trip the former princess, tried launching a shower thorns, tried having vines wind around her, tried sending flowers to launch paralysis-inducing pollen at her and even tried old-fashioned lashing her with her whip, but nothing worked. The dancer gracefully twirled, leaped and tiptoed out of harm's way in the nick of time. Hedera grew a razor-sharp bush and sent a flurry of leaves at the dancer. Raqqosa leaped up and did the splits, turning in the air as she did it so she just barely missed getting a dozen cuts. "Elmas, can you make yourself useful and help a girl out?" Hedera yelled in exasperation, making a gigantic vine grow out of the ground next to her and slam into Raqqosa.

Elmas closed her eyes, gazing into the future. She saw the vine hit its mark, but not before Raqqosa did pirouettes which launched her into the air. She landed on the tips of her toes and ran across the vine, doing a jump that the world's most skilled gymnasts would find impossible to dive at Hedera, pulling a dagger from underneath her gown and aiming it at her attacker's eye. Elmas opened her eyes. "Jorgo blast wind above Hedera's right!" she ordered as she purified another soldier and constructed a discus that flew at the necks of two of the final demons inside the dome.

Jorgo did as instructed. Raqqosa, as in Elmas's vision, did a leap off the vine. Unlike the vision, as she reached for her dagger and dived at Hedera a gust of wind knocked her off balance and she fell to the ground. Despite her surprise she landed in a crouch. Her knife had fallen to the ground. A vine grabbed it and threw it away as she reached for it. Hedera made vines and roots wrap around her, holding her in the air spreadeagled.

"How dare you let your _disgusting_ _weeds_ touch a princess!" Raqqosa snarled. "Let me go NOW!"

"In case you don't know, sweetie, you're not a princess anymore." Hedera said with the hand that didn't have the whip on her hip. The vines tightened. "So me and my babies will do whatever we damn please."

"Can you speak like a lady for once?" Elmas asked, landing beside Hedera.

"Right after I tell the 'princess,'" Hedera made air quotes with her fingers, "about how her mother gave us the okay to kill her. And how I'm going to have a venus flytrap swallow her whole." She approached Raqqosa. "You'll be eaten by my 'weeds'...no one will ever see your face or your body again...and you'll be forgotten. Forever. Sound fun?"

Raqqosa smiled.

"I must admit," a voice said behind them. They turned around and saw Demrus holding Jorgo by the neck with his hand at the side of Jorgo's head and the unicorn's horns on the ground out of his reach, "that seeing someone being eaten alive sounds fun. But I'd prefer seeing what happens when I blast him through the skull with every drop of energy I have." He raised an eyebrow. "I'm guessing he's the only one of you with healing abilities."

The look Hedera gave Elmas said, _Since when was he here?_

"That's correct." Raqqosa said, giggling with delight.

Demrus smiled. "Here's what will happen. You will let Raqqosa go. You will let her cuff you with magic-dampening bands of iron. Then I will escort you all to the dungeons."

"Doesn't sound like a fair deal." Hedera said. Her vines spread apart, stretching Raqqosa's arms and legs with them. "Why not just rip her limbs off?"

The god's hands glowed dark purple. Jorgo cried out.

"Stop." Elmas said.

Demrus let the power in his hands fade.

Elmas looked through the dome. Kurus, ever the martyr, was still battling the demons. She was bruised and bloodied, her wings twisted, her armor was smashed revealing a gash in her side and she was fighting with her fists after the swords shattered on the hide of a serpent demon. Elmas closed her eyes and looked into the future. What she saw only made her decision easier. The fairy warrior wouldn't survive if she was left alone.

"We'll surrender if you let Jorgo heal Kurus." Elmas said.

"WHAT?!" Hedera exclaimed.

Demrus tilted his head in thought. "Of course." A pulse of dark energy came from Demrus and the demons all fell back.

Kurus, preparing to punch one of them, fell to the ground and the protective dome faded. Demrus released Jorgo. The unicorn picked up his horns and rushed to Kurus's side. He picked her up, carrying her over to Elmas and Hedera. His horns all glowed as he began to repair her wounds.

"Release Raqqosa." Elmas said to Hedera.

"Since when are you in charge?" Hedera asked.

"Since the moment all of our lives are on the line." Elmas said firmly. "Let. Her. Go."

"This is a mistake" Hedera said.

"Hurry up and do as she says." Raqqosa said. "Let. Me. Go."

Hedera's plants quivered, ready to rip her to shreds, but she calmed them and made them release the dancer, being careful to do it roughly. Raqqosa fell on her face, getting up quickly and dusting herself off. She held up her chin imperiously and strutted to Demrus's side, muttering "worthless peasants" loud enough for everyone to hear. Hedera made all of her plants revert to the form of her leaves and reattached them to her body.

Demrus waved a hand and iron manacles appeared, floating in front of each of them. Elmas held her hands close together, her friends mimicking the motion.

"No need to waste your power." Raqqosa said. "I'll put them on myself."

Raqqosa fastened the manacles onto Elmas's wrists. The silver fairy started to wobble and collapsed. Raqqosa cuffed the rest of them one by one, finishing with Hedera. She tightened them enough to dig into her skin, whispering into Hedera's ear, "Demrus will see to it that I rule my mother's realm. And the first thing I will do when I have my crown and Bracken's heart is burn every single one of your _disgusting weeds_ to ash."

"I'd like to see you try, bi-" Hedera's breath rushed from her lungs as everything went black.


	7. Chapter 7

**Bracken & Kendra's Perspective**

They arrived at the temple around midnight. It was a circular structure made of white stone built around a reflective silver lake. When they approached the water they were able to see a reflection of the moon. The same feeling came over Kendra as when she looked at the glass of water. Her veins started to glow bright white and her eyes glowed white. The water glowed before changing from its reflective silver to crystal clear, revealing a room beneath. She stepped forward and dived into the water. The sudden drop from the water to the ground jolted her out of her daze. She looked around and saw she was in a large circular room made of the same white stone as the temple. She looked up to see if Bracken was diving in after her but the water was gone. The ceiling was made of the same stone, carved with a spiral of crescents and stars. There were no doors or any other way out but as Kendra looked around for one she noticed what was in the middle of the room. It was displayed on a stone figure of a woman on top of a set of raised steps. A silver necklace with a circular, pristine, white stone. There was a matching ring and shield on the arm. Kendra approached them and they started to glow, the light in the room fading as it caused the stones to glow brighter and brighter until the light molded into the shape of an old woman. She was clinging to a staff as if it was the only thing keeping her standing. Her eyes were scrunched in pain and her robes sagged over her bony frame.

"Oh my god." Kendra said. "You're...Celene."

"I am." Despite her voice being labored there was a power behind it that could only belong to a god.

"How are you here without a vessel?"

"Simple. I'm not."

"What do you mean?"

"I suppose I should start from the beginning. You know of the first war between Senkrad and Hemera?"

"Yes."

"What you probably don't know is that The Fairy Queen was losing the war. So much so that defeat seemed inevitable. In order to gain an advantage she had to break an ancient rule. She hosted two gods at the same time; my sister, Hemera, and me. She was able to win but it came at a tremendous cost. She was dying from the strain of channeling both of our power. And since all three of us committed the crime the rest gods decided we were to pay with our lives and cast a spell to separate and kill us. But we pooled our strength together and found a way around it. She bound herself with Hemera and created the Fairy Realm as a refuge. So long she stays in her realm the connection strengthens and prevents the gods' spell from taking its toll. As for me, the Fairy Queen couldn't go on living if she were to keep hosting me so I went against our plans. I bound myself to my sacred talismans. Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to cast the entire spell before the Fairy Queen and Hemera tried to stop me so instead of strengthening my bond with the talismans, it decayed over time. Over millennia I've felt myself slipping away to nothing. When I knew I couldn't hold on any longer, I sent a part of my essence to a baby that was recently born. The only way to buy myself more time was to bind myself to _you_."

"Me?"

"Yes. A fragment, not enough to make too much of a difference. But enough, I suspect for Hemera to notice when you came to her shrine to ask for aid. When you drank the potion you were tasked with making I felt you receive power from me and Hemera. It was just enough for me to hold onto this world."

Kendra's eyes widened. So much started to make sense now. Her abilities with auras and magic weren't a product of being fairykind in any books she'd read and no one had ever been able to explain exactly why she had them. "I've been able to use magic recently that's a lot more powerful than normal. But...when I do I feel like...I'm dying."

"You can access my powers now, but the fragment I've given you isn't enough to give you the energy it takes to use them. You're using your own supply to perform godly feats. The fact that you're still standing is amazing."

"So, I'm really hosting you. A goddess."

"Yes. I'm sorry to have done this to you without your permission, but it's the only way I could hold on."

"Are you okay now that you were bound to your talismans again?"

"No. After you die it will be just like before, I'll fade away over thousands of years. But I will fade. That's why, I suppose, Hemera and the Fairy Queen sent you to collect my talismans. They would allow you to access enough power to use the abilities you get from me. But what I imagine she was hoping for is for you to host me."

"What? Host a goddess."

"You already are in a way. And, as the goddess of wisdom and foresight, I can sense a darkness on the horizon. There is a god who's taken my sister, Amora, hostage. Hemera will soon be in danger. Your family is in peril-"

"What peril? What's going to happen to my family?!"

"Demrus's influence grows, that is all I can see for sur-"

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know yet. If you will let me speak you'll find that I can help you. Allow me to host you. I can give you enough power to fight this darkness, moreso than you can now. And I would be lying if I said I wouldn't like to be able to survive a little longer."

"Didn't you say the gods cast a spell to separate you from your host?"

"From the Fairy Queen, not you. My inner eyes can see you will have a long life. If you become an eternal I can give you the wisdom of trillions of years to help you survive and you can extend my life until I find a way to break the spell on me. I find it to be an arrangement that can benefit both of us."

"I know what happens to people to host gods. It's like they're not human."

"Some people seem to lose their humanity because they've given the god complete control of their bodies, like your friend Bila did."

"She's a goddess?"

"Yes. But the Fairy Queen is very much in control of her body. Her and Hemera work in harmony, just as I'm sure we could."

"I...I don't know if I can do this."

Celene sighed. "I didn't want to tell you this because I didn't want you to feel pressured, but your family. They will soon be overwhelmed by dark forces and even with you and the Fairy Prince's help you won't be able save them alone."

"What? What is it?"

"The details are hazy, that's all I know now."

"So I have to host you or my family will die?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"I won't let anything happen to my family. How do we do this?"

* * *

 **At Fablehaven**

For breakfast, Reylen had made a feast the likes of which could rival the world's greatest chefs. The eternals had gotten back from training with Agad so the house was full enough to eat everything he made. Waffles, pancakes, french toast, regular toast, homemade jellys of all flavors, eggs, bacon, sausage, hashed browns, crepes, oatmeal. If it was a breakfast food, it was on the table. He was just bringing in a pitcher of orange juice and spatulas to serve the food in the dining room, catching the middle of the conversation going on.

"No matter how hard I try I can't use the ice anymore." Seth was saying.

"Well maybe that's a good thing." Warren said. "We don't know what consequences that ability might have."

"But you have to admit it would be totally cool." Seth said. "What if I could fly around on an ice slide like Killer Frost."

"Seth, you're lucky we let you keep that shadow." Scott **(AN: I totally forgot that Seth's dad had a name)** said. "And that was a gift from the Fairy Queen. This ice thing sounds dangerous."

"Your father's right." Grandpa said. "The Yuki-onna's abilities require the constant consumption of heat, even if it causes a human being to freeze to death."

"Okay, okay, I get it. Don't try to make ice start spewing from my hands" Seth said. "Now can we start eating yet?" Seth looked at the spread of food before him and his mouth watered. Or it should have. His hands, on his cup coated in ice and became transparent.

"Seth, what did we say!" Marla scolded.

"I didn't try-" A loud rumbling sound was heard as the house shook. Once. Twice. On the third time there was a banging sound.

"What was that?" Alisa asked.

A goblin burst through the wall and swung its club at Vanessa. She pulled a dart from her sleeve and pricked it, sending it to sleep.

Reylen said, "Speed of Hermes." He quickly scooped up Ruth, Marla, Stan, Scott, Dale and Tanu before running out of the door at lightning speed, returning in seconds with everyone's weapons, tossing them to their owners.

The goblin woke up and Warren stabbed it with his sword.

"That was enough poison to make a full grown whale sleep for weeks." Vanessa exclaimed.

"Where did it come from?" Sora asked.

"I took everyone to the attic, Stan is checking the registry." Reylen said. "I think that guy was from the dungeon. If so, we can expect more to come."

Annabel took her wand out of her purse and said, "I'll draw some runes outside to keep the barrier around the house from falling just in case."

A bipedal wolf jumped through the hole made by the goblin. Annabel threw a bottle of wine at it. When it shattered and soaked the wolf vines started to grow around its body, trapping it to the floor like a net. Seth stabbed the wolf with his dagger. Annabel left, with Sora following her as his powers were less effective indoors. Everyone decided it would be best to go into the living room so they would have more room to move around. As they passed through the kitchen three trolls appeared and charged at Reylen. Reylen's eyes went red and he screamed, "FOR ARES!" His _Kiss the Cook_ apron now said _I dare you to try and kill the cook_ as he grabbed a spoon and meat tenderizer and jumped into battle. The trolls fell easily and he ran through the rest of the house alone, screaming for challengers to face him.

When they entered the living room they saw fox spirits, a mongoose the size of a couch, two flying snakes, human-sized imps and at least a dozen trolls or goblins.

Alisa drew a sword and jumped into the wooden coffee table, disappearing. When a snake flew past it her arm shot out and cut off its head. She then jumped out of another table and launched herself at the closest thing she saw, a goblin.

Vanessa ducked out of the way as the imps immediately ran at her. She had bought an elongated blowgun recently so she used it as a miniature staff to hit when she could while she dodged their blows. Warren joined her and with his sword he was able to take down an imp.

Seth tried to summon the ice again but his hands were visible now and had lost the frost coating them earlier. He used his bow to shoot a flying snake and aimed at a goblin Alisa was grappling with, the shot narrowly missing. He was thinking about why he could use his new powers a few moments ago but they were lost to him now. Could it be the glass he was holding? Despite the troll who swung a vase at him his mind drifted back to the amazing feast and his mouth watered. That's when he felt the air around him grow colder and his hands let off a chilly aura. _"The_ _Yuki-onna's abilities require the constant consumption of heat." his grandfather had said._ Seth said. _Hunger. That's the trigger. Okay, think-think about a pizza, a bacon pizza. And popcorn at the movie theater. And-and a deep fried funnel cake._ Seth's skin slowly turned transparent and ice coated the floor around him. He ran up to a troll, unnoticed thanks to the fact that he was nearly invisible and grabbed its hand, absorbing its body heat until it was frozen solid.

"Everyone go into the hallway." Seth yelled.

Despite not being able to see him, they trusted him enough to fight their way into the hallway. Seth followed them to the door and turned to the room full of intruders. He held his arms forward and pushed out all the ice he could summon. The room flashed blue and everything and everyone inside was frozen solid. Seth turned around and everyone looked at him in shock.

"What?" Seth said, coating himself in ice so he was more visible. "I finally got the hang of it."

They all walked through the hall, finding Reylen on top of the stairs. He joined them and they made their way to the front door, coming across all kinds of creatures of darkness who's been beaten with kitchen utensils.

"Sorry." Reylen said. "I get a little excessive when I call on him."

"We could use excessive right now." Warren said. When they left the door they all gasped.

Annabel was holding her wand up high, runes glowing around the garden's perimeter. Every creature of darkness on the Fablehaven preserve, it seemed, was outside of the cracking barrier. Some of them Seth knew and had developed relationships with but now they were unrecognizable, throwing themselves ferally against the dome.

"Since when are they this powerful?" Alisa asked.

"This doesn't look good." Warren said.

The barrier cracked and shattered, Annabel fainting as it did. Everything that was outside the dome descended on the heroes, charging at full speed. A potion was launched from a window of the house, which exploded, slowing the approaching army. Seth looked up and saw his mom, dad, grandma and grandpa launching potions that Tanu was supplying out of the windows on the second story. Poison gases, freezing liquids, exploding powders, sleep inducing gels. Hugo approached with Dale who carried two axes, the two of them coming out of the garage to join the fight.

"Seth," Reylen said, "You're sure you have this ice thing under control?"

"Yeah." Seth said.

"And you need heat to use it, right?"

"Yes."

"Good." Reylen pointed at Seth and said, "Light of Apollo, shine upon us." The sun shone brighter and a patch of light shone around Seth, almost searing his skin with the intense heat. He thought of something to make him hungry and he absorbed the heat until Reylen couldn't call anymore. Sora said, "Eta Carinae, I need you." A miniature star appeared in front of Seth, burning hotly. Seth absorbed its heat until it disappeared.

"Thanks. This is gonna be awesome." Seth said. His heart was beating out of its chest. He was shaking with energy. His skin was completely clear and ice surrounded the ground around him. He shot a blast of cold, making a trail of ice that cut through the army. He slid along it into their ranks and shot blasts of cold that froze them solid or spears of ice that pierced straight through them. He poured out just half of his store of heat, turning it into cold and at least a two hundred of the invaders were frozen into ice all the way through. He whooped and propelled himself on a cold wind into the air before coming back down, infusing ice and shadow into his arms as he descended and punching the ground after he landed, creating a shockwave of cold and darkness.

* * *

 **In The Fairy Realm**

The Fairy Queen was in her room, a servant fixing her hair, when she felt a dark presence surround her. "Excuse me." was all the Queen needed to say for everyone in her room to stop what they were doing and leave immediately. She faced her mirror after they all left and a face appeared in it.

"Demrus." The Fairy Queen said. "How dare you come before me in my realm."

"Technically I'm not in your realm." Demrus said. "And I don't think you'd be so rude to me if you knew what I was going to tell you."

"Unless you want me to know you've decided to go back to the prison you belong in, I don't see anything that you could say that's worth bothering me."

"Well that's unfortunate. My own Aunt refuses to speak to me. I suppose Amora will have to die then."

"What do you mean?" The Fairy Queen's voice was calm, a scary sort of calm that was only used by queens who were contemplating ways to end their enemies.

"I mean she's in a prison my mother escaped a few hundred centuries ago. It was one of her longer periods of confinement so there are all sorts of nasty little demons ready to tear Amora into billions of tiny whore pieces."

"You will watch your tongue."

"Sorry, I forgot how sensitive you were. But I understand...we should have respect for the soon-to-be deceased." Demrus smiled wickedly. "Because she _will_ die. Horribly. Painfully. She's not strong like you are, she may be able to stall her fate but she won't survive for long."

"You evil-"

"Before you insult me again know that I'm in a generous mood. I might just let her go."

"What do you want for her life? You've never been generous."

"It's simple, really...just a trade."

"Of?"

"You take her place in captivity."

"WHAT?"

"I wouldn't blame you if you don't take the offer. Sacrifice her life for yours. She's only been your loyal servant of how many eons? Long enough to watch the beginning and endings of how many worlds? Leaving her for dead is the most logical choice, I know it's what I'd do."

"You're lying. You'll just trap her _and_ me."

"For once I'm not. I'll admit I was hoping I could do that: lure you in after her and lock you both inside. But, unfortunately, you and the rest of the gods enchanted the prison so that only the power of a god other than my mother can call the door, one god can enter, and one god can exit. You remember that, don't you? In my current _state_ I can't change that so, you can be assured there are no tricks. You trade places, Amora goes free. That simple."

There was a long period of silence. "I will need time to consider."

"Fine. You have two human hours. In the meantime, I suppose I'll go let your daughter, Amora, know you have to consider whether her life is worth saving or not." He laughed as his face disappeared from the glass.


	8. Chapter 8

**In the Fairy Realm**

Golau flew through the Fairy Queen's open window and rushed over to her as soon as her feet touched the ground. Five astrid guards stood behind her. "Mother, what's the emergency?"

"Leave us." The Fairy Queen said. The astrids immediately left and closed the window behind them. "Sit."

Golau sat down on the bed.

"Amora has been imprisoned." The Queen said.

"By who?" Golau asked.

"By Demrus. He's up to his old tricks."

"That's awful. What are we going to do."

"I've been given an ultimatum. Leave her to die or save her by taking her place."

"You can't be serious, mother, that's insa-"

"I am." Her tone was final. "If she dies all love will disappear from the world and, in time, she _will_ die no matter how much of a fight she puts up. I can stand any amount of demons, I can keep her safe."

"You can't do this to us." Golau said with forced calm. "You'll be leaving us without a leader, without a queen. We'll be defenseless."

"I won't be leaving you without a queen." The Fairy Queen said, looking deep into Golau's eyes, which widened like saucers.

"No. Nononononono, I'm not ready. I can't lead. I wouldn't even know-"

The Fairy Queen put her hands on Golau's shoulders as she shook like a leaf in the wind. "Yes, you can. You've been learning for centuries."

"I'm not strong enough." Golau's eyes glistened and she grit her jaw, forcing the tears to stay down with pure will. "I was possessed by Senkrad's minions, I killed the very people I'm supposed to protect. How can you think I can do this?"

"It proves to me that you can. Do you know why?"

Golau shook her head.

"You know now what's at stake. I would never have protected my realm so well without knowing what are enemies are capable of...what we are defending ourselves from."

"Mother..."

"I am going to take the offer. When Amora returns I want you to reinforce the barriers protecting the realm, close all non-major shrines. I will be fine, so put the realm first...I don't want you trying to pull of some rescue-"

"Mother..." The tears burst forth like a dam had shattered.

The Fairy Queen held her daughter to her chest. "Let it out now, but the tears end here. You must be strong and if you aren't-fake it." The Queen's tone was cold and hard. "I'll try something but if I fail you must to find a way to stop Demrus before he can pull off whatever evil plot he's attempting, but put the safety of the realm first."

Golau shook harder still.

"You will be crowned Queen Regent tonight, after which you'll be in complete control of the realm. Use your power wisely and remember how complicated dealing with the minor queens can be, especially Soguk."

"I will."

"And one last thing for me."

"Yes?"

"Keep your family safe." The Queen, unlike Golau, had no trouble keeping her emotion from showing outwardly.

"I will, Mother."

The Fairy Queen hugged Golau tight as a vice. "I have complete and utter faith in you. Know that I wouldn't entrust you with this if I didn't fully believe you can handle it."

Golau pulled back, wiping away the tears. She put on as stoic a look as she could manage and projected strength into her voice. "I'm ready."

* * *

 **At Fablehaven**

The fight was still going on an hour ago and Seth was really starting to lose steam. He'd run out of arrows and one of his daggers was currently in between the ribs of a river troll. The whole being transparent thing was super handy since he could move around nearly unseen. The heat from Reylen and Sora's abilities had run out after he'd made the maybe-not-so-wise choice of freezing an entire giant; and since he could only absorb heat by touch and everything around him was capable of ripping his arm off if he tried he conserved his newfound powers by only using them to create new arrows, but even that was becoming difficult now. He felt his temperature dropping. If it weren't for the mandrake trying to claw him he might have been worried about getting hypothermia.

The others were boding just as badly. Reylen was out of energy so he was using a sythe from a fallen reaver-a race of humanoid vultures-to fight without his usual divine intervention. Sora was severely limited during the sunset as few stars were visible this early for him to call on. Annabel had woken up but by the time she cast a spell to turn one angry group of Strix to tiny, harmless chicks, seven goblins had their sights set on her. Alisa was faring the best. Her dryad side must give her extreme strength and stamina because she still swung her sword in dance-like movements with the vigor she'd had when the battle first started. She circled around, helping others whenever possible. Vanessa had been the smartest. She bit a fox spirit before returning to the house, taking possession of its sleeping form to use illusions and fire for her side. When a troll saw what looked to be an injured Dale, it would really be Vanessa waiting to pounce on him while she was coated in blue flames. When a selkie saw Seth drawing his bow and struck, it would really be hitting one of its allies. Warren and Dale stood back-to-back, Warren showcasing the skills that earned him his position as a Knight of the Dawn and Dale swinging a hammer and gardening hoe in unison like the handiest warrior the world had ever seen. From the house everyone still threw out potions, but the supply was now down to smokebombs, stinkbombs, goo that stuck anyone that walked on it to the ground and fogs that made everyone inside it itchy. Despite being more mature, Seth couldn't help but wonder what kinds of amazing pranks he could've pulled off with those. Then he thought back to how cold he was getting, his lips were coated in frost and it was getting hard to walk now.

He looked at everyone fighting alongside him and then to the host of creatures of darkness, still eighty strong. As he began to consider ways for them to possibly retreat a blinding light shone from above. A circular gateway had opened. Out of it flew Bracken, holding his horns in both hands. He landed quickly, turning one horn to a sword and the other to a dagger, plunging into the fight without question. Second to appear was an ethereal glowing woman. Like a cartoon ghost, she looked like she was made of fog that had taken shape. The shape was that of a pale older woman with extremely long white hair and a longer dress. She had an angelic set of wings that were set with white stones that shone brighter than the rest of her like the moon compared to the stars. She descended slowly and scanned the group of attackers. She began to glow brighter, holding out her hands and a blinding aura of light encircled her, burning all of the enemies to ash. Each and every one was nothing more than smoldering bits in the span of a second. The woman began to dim, the ethereal fog that served as her body dissipating as she solidified. A much smaller form fell from her place in the air. Bracken raced forward and caught the falling girl, gently placing her down. When Seth got closer he saw that it was Kendra. Bracken turned his horns back to their original form and placed the second of the two to Kendra's head, the horn glowing until her eyes fluttered open. She looked around and sat up, rubbing her temples.

"What's going on?" Kendra asked.

"YOU'RE ASKING US THAT?!" Seth exclaimed. "YOU-YOU-YOU CAME HERE AND BURNED DOZENS OF THOSE GUYS TO DUST WHEN WE'VE BEEN LOSING FOR HOURS! YOU BUSTED IN LIKE SOME SORT OF GUARDIAN ANGEL! I think we should know what's going on."

"Seth give her a little time." Bracken said.

"No, I'm alright." Kendra said. "Celene said it'd take a while to get the hang of staying conscious after the transformation."

Everyone had surrounded them by now.

"Celene?" Warren asked.

"I-I'm hosting a goddess." Kendra said. "Since a few hours ago. The moon goddess Celene. She showed me that you were in danger in the future so I started hosting her so I could save you all."

Seth's jaw dropped. He whispered: "I get ice powers that almost turn me into a popsicle when I use them and she turns into a god."

"A goddess. One that can see the future." Kendra added on just to be evil.

Seth whined audibly.

Scott and Marla ran out of the front doors, rushing to Kendra and Seth.

"Are you okay?" Scott asked. Before they could answer he said. "Of course your're not, you just-"

"Hold on." Kendra said. "I have a lot to tell you guys, but I don't think I can do the goddess thing again for a while so we have to go somewhere safe."

"Where's that?" Warren asked.

"Well, since I'm technically half-creator of the place now, I was thinking we could stay in the Fairy Realm. I just have to ask the Fairy Queen if it's-" Kendra's vision got fuzzy and she saw a scene. It wasn't a scene-more like a fragment of it viewed through a thick haze. Burning fire-or was it blood?-bleeding down a pair of stilettos. Black blood sprayed on a black glass floor. Feathers. And golden hair spilling over the shoulders of a fallen queen, a crown rolling off across the floor. When Kendra blinked it all disappeared and she had to grasp for it like flies buzzing around in her mind. The feeling was definitely surreal and confusing, but she thought she could piece together some of it.

"We have to hurry." Kendra said. "The Fairy Queen is in danger."

* * *

 **In Demrus's World**

The Fairy Queen arrived to the island at the designated time, stepping through the gate when it opened. She looked around and saw the castle Demrus had built.

"Do you like it, Mother?"

The Fairy Queen quickly turned to see Raqqosa standing behind her, her golden hair and skin drained to a deathly pale white.

"I've never felt more at home." Raqqosa added with a smile.

"Well, it's nice to see you're happy." The Fairy Queen said.

"That's it?!" Raqqosa snapped. "That's all? You're not even bothered that I'm here?!"

The Fairy Queen said, "I'm here to see Demrus."

Raqqosa began to breathe heavily. "Follow me."

The Fairy Queen followed and was led to a small room. Demrus and Tywyll stood, waiting for her.

Demrus bowed deeply. "Girls, we're in the presence of royalty. Show respect."

Tywyll and Raqqosa grimaced before complying.

"It's nice of you to come." Demrus said.

"Let's get this over with." The Fairy Queen said.

"But I have snacks and refreshments." Demrus said, gesturing to a table.

The Fairy Queen pointed to the door behind her and a golden gateway appeared, opening to a realm of darkness. "Before I go in..." her hands began to glow with golden light as she said it. She aimed them to Demrus, Tywyll and Raqqosa.

"You might not want to do that." Demrus said.

"Why?" The Fairy Queen asked.

"I have a few of your faithful servants captured in my dungeons." Demrus said. "I would hate for them to have to be punished because of your actions. Especially knowing how valuable they are to you."

The glow in the Queen's hands faded.

"Did you think I would really enter a room with you without a way to keep you tame?" Demrus asked.

As soon as he said tame Raqqosa screamed in pain. Gold light left her body and entered the Fairy Queen's hands. Raqqosa's hair turned from white to ashy gray, her face becoming wrinkled like raisins and her form bending like a straw. She fell to the ground as an old crone. When she tried to stand she could barely move.

"What did you do to me?!" Raqqosa rasped.

"I took away the gifts I gave you." The Fairy Queen said. "You will no longer dance and you will no longer live forever."

"WHAT?" Raqqosa screamed. "YOU CAN'T!"

The Fairy Queen turned and stepped through the gateway, the golden portal fading behind her as Raqqosa continued to scream.


	9. Chapter 9

**In The Fairy Realm**

Kendra was able to transport her family to the Fairy Realm without the use of a shrine. Celene had guided her through it and, in a flash of light, everyone was in the courtyard that housed all the shrines from around the world. Some looked like fountains, others like statues and more that were immaculately trimmed hedges. The astrid and fairy warrior guards tensed when they appeared, approaching Kendra, Bracken, the eternals and her family members.

"What are these humans doing here?" One of the astrids asked.

 _Show them your mark_. Celene said in Kendra's mind.

Kendra willed the mark at her forehead to shine and the symbol of Celene appeared, glowing bright white. The astrids and fairies instantly bowed to her. Kendra assumed they were bowing to Bracken at first, but then remembered that she was now an avatar of the oldest and wisest goddess to ever exist. One that hadn't possessed a host since the beginning of human life. It made sense for them to bow to her, but the feeling was extremely odd.

"We need to see the queen." Kendra said.

"She is currently...absent." A fairy said.

"What's wrong?" Bracken asked.

"Much has happened here." An astrid said. "The Fairy Queen was willingly imprisoned by Demrus in order to save Amora from his clutches."

Bracken and Kendra's eyes widened. Everyone else, however, didn't follow along as well.

"Is Golau in charge now?" Kendra asked.

"Correct, her highness is reigning regent in the queen's absence." A fairy said.

"Take us to her." Bracken said. "And find somewhere for our guests from Fablehaven to stay."

One of the astrids grabbed Seth roughly by the shoulder. "What do we do with the prisoner?" He asked.

"Let him go!" Kendra said, a little louder than she intended. The astrid let go of Seth quickly and Kendra could see fear in his eyes. She noticed that an intense silver aura surrounded her and she could feel the mark on her head burning with divine power. She took a deep breath and dispelled all of it.

"I'm so sorry." The astrid said, kneeling at her feet. "I assumed because of the darkness within him that-"

"He's my brother." Kendra said calmly. "He's not a prisoner and even if he's a shadow charmer I don't want anybody to treat him like he's some enemy. Understood?"

The astrids and fairies nodded fiercely. Seth, despite still being jealous and maybe a little embarrassed at having to be saved, smiled slightly at he fact that his sister defended him.

"Take everyone to our nicest rooms and make sure they have access to everything they need." Bracken said. "I think Kendra and I should go speak with my sister now."

"Yeah." Kendra said. She turned back to her family. "I'll be back soon but this is all really serious and now that I'm hosting Celene I'm a part of it all."

Her parents and grandparents reluctantly nodded, following a few of the fairies into the castle to where they'd be staying. Kendra then followed an astrid to Golau's office.

* * *

 **Seth's Perspective**

He couldn't help it, he was curious about all the talk of gods and prisons. As soon as Seth knew where his room was and the fairy that had led him there was gone, he stepped into the shadows. Despite it being nighttime, The Fairy Realm didn't make it easy for him to sneak around. There were lights all over the place, glowing with gold or multicolored light that kept exposing him when he got too close. He'd considered activating his ice powers instead of shadewalking since it'd make him transparent, but he still hadn't figured out how to deactivate them properly so he decided it wasn't worth the risk. He retraced his steps to get back to the garden with all the shrines and then entered the doors Bracken and Kendra had gone into. They led up a spiral staircase-a very, very long spiral staircase-and at the top there was a hallway with one door. Seth crept up to it and listened to the conversation going on on the other side.

"She wants us to prioritize the realm's safety over anything else." A voice he'd heard once before said. He thought it must be Golau. "That's why bringing over a dozen humans without even using a shrine is such a concern."

"I'm sorry about that." Kendra said.

Seth heard footsteps coming up behind him and ducked into a shadowy corner by a window. He saw Bila strutting up the hall, a furious expression on her face. Her heels sounded like thunder as they clicked across the floor. She stopped when she was just about to pass Seth.

"I have the endless power of a goddess in my blood, you can't hide from me." Bila said. "You might as well just show yourself before I get upset."

Seth stepped out of the shadows with his hands raised. Bila looked at him quizzically then turned her attention to the door.

"Are you supposed to be here, shadowboy?" She asked him.

"Uh..." Seth said. "It depends on what you mean by 'here' I guess. I mean why are any of us here? It's a fascinating philosophical question-"

"Philisophagus? You're making up words now." Seth was gonna say something, but Bila said, "Whatever, I don't have time for this. Do you wanna go inside that room?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Then let's go." Bila waved a hand and the doors opened. Since he was revealed to be eavesdropping, he had no choice but to enter the room behind Bila.

"What are you doing here, Seth?" Kendra asked. Her and Bracken were seated before Golau's desk.

"Spying on you." Bila said. "But what's important is we have a problem on our hands."

"We know." Golau said. "The Fairy Queen is imprisoned."

"Yes." Bila said. "And Demrus is building his strength. I think he's planning something big."

"The Queen told me...he might summon his brothers and sisters." Golau said.

Everyone looked shocked. Everyone except Seth that is.

"But that's supposed to be impossible." Kendra said. "All the stories say-"

"What's going on, exactly?" Seth asked. "I'm a little lost."

Golau sighed. "Maybe because you shouldn't be here."

"I gave him permission to come in." Bila said.

Golau looked at Seth and said, "I'm sorry, I suppose I'm a bit on edge. I wonder how you'd explain this."

"You remember Queen Senkrad?" Kendra asked.

"Yeah, Gorgrog's wife." Seth said.

"Well, she's a host for a goddess. Nyx, the goddess of night and corruption."

"The Fairy Queen turned her to dust, right?" Seth said. "How is she still a problem?"

"She isn't. Yet." Bracken explained. "But her son is. Demrus, the god of lies. He's been strengthening creatures of darkness and, now he has my mother."

"And my friends." Bila added. "I need to go back there with an army, get everybody back before Demrus does anything worse. We all know how bad the rest of his family is."

"I don't." Seth said.

"The rest of his family are fallen gods and goddesses." Kendra explained. "Goddess of murder, goddess of vengeance, goddess of chaos, god of death, goddess of curses, god of sickness, god of sleep-"

"I get it, they're bad news." Seth said. "But sleep doesn't sound dangerous, at least."

"How would you like to sleep for the rest of your life?" Bila asked. "The strength creatures of darkness get from one of them is bad enough, but if all of them gather on this planet...even a troll would be able to take out the entire Fairy Realm. So, about that army, regent."

"I can't do that." Golau said. "My mother ordered me to ensure the realm's safety. What if this is a trap and Demrus means to attack us while our defenses are weakened?"

"I've seen the army of creatures he has at his disposal." Bila said, the steel in her voice at odds with her usually sweet tone. "They're completely new beings, we don't know their weaknesses. If they attack, your chances of survival are just as slim. At least I'm offering a chance to free the queen and balance the odds."

"I won't disregard my mother's wishes." Golau said.

"Well, it's a good thing I don't care what you will and won't do." Bila's voice was altering, becoming much sweeter and much more powerful. Her eyes glowed brighter than usual and her hair set on fire. "I am a goddess and I won't let the orders of a child that can't even think for herself dictate what I do."

"Oh, look," Seth said, "another goddess."

"My mother made me regent." Golau said, completely unfazed. "I am your superior."

"You were an insect before your mother turned you to this form." Bila-no, Amora-said. "You will never be my superior. I'm ordering the astrids and fairies to follow me."

"I suspected you'd say that." Golau said. "Which is why my mother allowed me to do this. Kendra."

Kendra jumped a little when Golau looked at her. She seemed so much like the Fairy Queen right now it was unreal. "Yes?"

"Command her, in my mother's name, to go to her home and stay there."

"What? Me?"

Bila's eyes narrowed. "Really? Hiding behind humans now?"

"As regent, I order you to do it." Golau said to Kendra.

 _Do it._ Celene said in Kendra's head.

"Don't you dare." Bila said with lethal quiet.

Kendra's mind felt like it was being pulled in four different directions. She looked at Bracken hoping for some clarity, but, suddenly everything seemed to feel hazy. It felt like she'd gone to an observation room in her head to watch everything play out-like her actions were no longer her own. "I order you," She said, her voice deeper and older, "Amora, to return to your host's home and stay there until you are commanded otherwise."

Bila's eyes flashed white and she began to back away. Judging by the look on her face, she wasn't acting of her own accord. She looked at Seth and her lips twitched. Everyone was so busy watching her leave that they didn't see the hand Seth raised to his cheek. It felt like a pair of lips had touched his cheek, at first a stinging sensation, but then an electric feeling.

"Shadowcharmer." Golau said, looking at Seth. "You are excused."

"Uh," It felt weird. Like Seth had lost the ability to speak for a moment. "Yes, I'll...yes, I'll leaf-I mean _leave._ "

He turned to the door and exited the room. He went down the hall, retracing the steps he'd taken to get here. But, for some unknown reason, he felt the urge not to return to his room. Instead, he wandered around without really knowing his destination, right out through the doors where he could exit the castle and down an unknown road. He was being guided by an unknown source in a foreign world and the oddest thing was he didn't even feel scared.


	10. Chapter 10

**In the Fairy Realm**

Seth was guided along the streets as if an unseen hand was at his shoulder directing him. He finally felt the urge to stop when he reached a giant mansion that had to be made of...fire. It didn't have a tangible form from what he could see, it was just white fire given form. Seth approached the door and raised a hand to the knocker without fear of being burned. For some reason he knew it wouldn't hurt him. When he entered the home he saw that the fire was solid enough to walk on. The room he was in was a walkway, but the walls weren't...usual to say the least. Like a doll house, there were rooms he could see through open walls, but there were no stairs and no way he could see for anyone-at least anyone who couldn't fly-to get up to them. But that didn't stop a girl from flying down to him from what had to be a walk-in closet.

She landed in front of him and it was revealed to be Bila. She threw her arms open and approached him, "My handsome hero. I knew you'd come save me, shadowboy."

"Why do you call me that?" Seth asked. "We've met like ten times, you know my name."

"I'm sorry, Sam, it's just a pet name." Bila apologized as she gave Seth a hug.

"My name's Se-"

"Sure. Now's the part where you asked how you saved me."

"Um, how did I save you?"

"Because, even though your sister locked me here like some kind of prisoner, you can get me out."

"Why would I do that?" Seth asked. "You can't even remember my name."

With the added height of her heels, Bila had to lean down to look into his eyes. Her pupils disappeared and her irises glowed brighter. "Because I'll give you a kiss if you do."

Seth's head went fuzzy and goose bumps appeared on his skin. Thinking about anything other than the pair of eyes in front of him was impossible. He smiled and started giggling like an idiot. "Really?"

"Yes, I promise." Bila said sweetly. "Now listen closely."

Seth nodded his head enthusiastically.

"I'm going to give you a kiss on the cheek and you'll be a kind of...missionary?" Bila asked Amora in her head what the word was and smiled as she corrected herself by saying, _"Emissary._ I'll control your actions for a little bit and use you to get your sister to tell you I'm free to leave. When she does, it'll be like she's saying it to me. And when I'm free, we'll part ways and you can go off and do whatever it is you shadowcharmers do while I forget you exist. Sound good?"

Seth nodded stupidly again.

"Stay still, sweetie." Bila said.

The left side of her chest started glowing with light. She raised a hand to the heart-shaped mark there and an orb of energy appeared. The orb turned into a small fire and flew at Seth's forehead. Then, everything went black.

* * *

 **Villains' Perspective**

Raqqosa hid behind a curtain when Demrus threw the door open to her room.

"Don't look at me." She whined.

"Stop this childishness." Demrus said with a sigh. When Raqqosa didn't budge from hiding place, he nicely said, "I have a surprise for you, my dear."

"Unless it's a way to look like I did before, I don't care!" Raqqosa screamed.

Demrus had to use every last ounce of his will not to strangle her. This tantrum had gone on far too long for his liking. He kept his voice reassuring and compassionate as he said, "I can't promise you'll look the way you did before, but you'll certainly be beautiful again. That's the surprise. All you have to do is stop hiding behind that curtain."

Raqqosa timidly peeked her wrinkled face from behind the curtain. "What is it?"

"Come closer, my dear."

"Don't call me your dear."

"Fine, fine. But come closer."

Raqqosa approached him, pulling the heavy cloak she was wearing tighter around herself to hide as much of her new appearance as possible. Her usually elegant stride was so unsteady now. When she got close enough, Demrus grabbed her hands. She tried to pull them away, but he held tight and looked at her sympathetically. He wasn't entirely lying when he said, "It pains me to see you this way, my sister. Even if it annoyed me, I've become a little accustomed to your constant chatter. I brought you something to help you return to the way you were, if you'll accept it."

"What?" Raqqosa asked desperately. "What is it?"

Demrus pulled an ornate key from his pocket. "I've had thousands of creatures of darkness searching for this. Use it on any door and it'll open a gateway to a...prison of sorts. Inside of it is one of my sisters: Indra."

Raqqosa gasped.

"Yes. I haven't been able to find anyone that can open the gateway because creatures of darkness and gods can't go through. But after what happened a few days ago, you're something...undefined. If you can free my sister, I'm sure she would reward you by letting you be her host. You'd be a goddess. Powerful, beautiful, immortal-"

"I'll do it. I can't live like this." Greed was in her eyes. As it probably should be. Stories about Indra and her powers were legendary.

Demrus handed her the key and gestured to the door. "Then your destiny awaits you."

Raqqosa shuffled to the door, almost falling before she grabbed the handle for balance. She was definitely ready to regain her grace. When she turned the key in the lock, cold wind pushed the door open and she was pulled through the gateway in a flash of light.

* * *

 **Fairy Queen's Perspective**

With a blast of energy fired out in a circle around her, the Fairy Queen was able to eliminate the demons around her for miles. She summoned more of her power and glowed with a blinding golden light. As the other demons approached her, she had an epiphany of sorts. Almost a million human years she'd spent in an endless cycle with Senkrad. Quadrillions spent by Hemera fighting Nyx. Light and dark fighting against one another, one consuming or burning away the other only for it to begin again after a thousand years. Endless conflict. Well it ended now. As the creatures of darkness approached again, she reached out to feel their essence. Within each of them was a kernel of Nyx's dark power. A bit of blazing light would destroy it instantly, leaving nothing but a husk of dust in the creature's place. And-while she did eradicate the darkness-in the milisecond before the creature faded away, she tried a new approach. She pulled a piece of godly essence out of her own being. It was like scooping a cup of water out of the ocean, but this would require more than just a cup. She repeated the process thousands of times, pulling out fragments of her power. When they'd all gathered, she sent them outward.

Each found a different creature of darkness. The light morphed the darkness that was there before. Love came from hate. Mercy came from ruthlessness. The need to preserve came from the the need to consume. The separation between dark and light had always been a matter of nature-of opposing forces clashing. But one had never switched to the other.

The creatures of darkness stilled, taking a moment to adjust to the newfound _things_ they felt. One of them-a seemingly human man that had bat wings instead of arms-shook his head and gasped as his eyes began to glow gold. The Fairy Queen waited, and waited. The few creations of Senkrad she'd instilled with her power not attacking her led to the others stopping out of confusion.

Finally, the Fairy Queen morphed, taking on the Queen's form rather than the goddess' as she flew back to the ground. All of the creatures of darkness glowed with bright golden light as the fabric of their beings changed. Now, they'd made a switch from darkness to light, like a reversed Shadow Plague. But this was permanent. They were now creatures of light, and they bowed down to her.

If she was trapped in this world with an army, then the army must've been meant to distract her. And if someone felt she needed distracting, there must be a way for her to escape this prison on her own. So, for now, she'd convert Senkrad's creations into her own army. And when she emerged from this place, her forces would be much, much stronger.


End file.
